The Lion King III: The Chosen Ones
by Chizuru17
Summary: Set two years after TLK II; Queen Kiara gives birth to twins. After a shocking attack rips their world apart and seperates them, the twins are plunged headlong into a conflict that has been brewing for years and is threatening to spill over into the pridelands. Follow the two as they grow and try to find their place in the Circle of Life.
1. The Circle Opens

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones**

_**Cub Arc: Who Are You?**_

_**The Circle Opens**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own 'One by One' by Lebo M, any Lion King characters, stories or any other official materials. **_

…..

_Bursts of loud, fierce roars ripped across the morning sky. Frantic, panicked screams of death were constant as the golden plains became tainted with dark splatters of blood. _

_ Hidden away from the heart of all of this insanity, a tearful cub shook with fright. She was curled tightly under her older sister's body, almost crushed by the tiny hole they were in. _

_ Who were those monsters that invaded their home? How did they find them?_

_ Their grandmother promised that if they hid there like brave, obedient girls that she would come back for them. The young cub wanted to call for her mother so that she could come to her rescue and protect her from all of these scary things. However, with the dark blood soaked on her sister's paws and her own pelt, she was cruelly reminded that her mother would never return to them. The very thought of their mother brought anew fresh tears to her eyes and she let out a mournful cry. _

_ "Sis…sis…please, you have to calm down…please calm down." Her older sister urged in a desperate tone, hugging her tighter._

_ The cub sniffled, "I-I can't! I want her; I miss mom!"_

_ "You don't understand; we can't see her anymore! She's gone!" the older cub sobbed. She scrubbed at her own tears, caking blood on to her cheek. "We are all we have now." _

_ "How dare you go back on your word! You promised that you wouldn't kill anyone else you monsters!"_

_ "Oh no, I would never harm such a cub. I'm just going to borrow her for a while. Now, move aside." _

_ "I won't let you have her! Haven't you done enough?!" _

_ Immediately, the roars of conflict and malicious cackling drew ever so closer. The two cubs watched on in silent horror, paralyzed. That was unmistakably their grandmother's voice and from the huge shadows that danced erratically on the cave walls, she wasn't alone. The young cub buried her head into her sister's flank, unable to take any more._

_ Why do we have to hide? They're the ones who came here! Why don't they just go away!_

_ Suddenly, their grandmother's ear splitting cry made both cubs jump in terror. They watched with wide eyes as their grandmother was jerked into the entrance of the cave by a group of vicious rogues. The bloodied mess of a lioness tried in vain to get to her paws but was unable to due to her numerous injuries. The young cub continued to gape on, paralyzed when another, familiar dark furred lion circled her with deadly intent, all the while keeping his cool smile. _

_Against her will, she felt her body wrestle against her sister's and wild screams escaped her mouth. Her sister pressed a strong paw over her to muffle the mangled cries, unwilling to allow her to come to her grandmother's rescue. The two cubs could only watch helplessly as the rest of the nightmare unfolded. _

_ "I will ask again. Where is she?" _

_ Their grandmother didn't reply. She narrowed her eyes hatefully and spat at him. _

_ In one swift motion, his black claws tore across her face. In that one moment, the young cub's world and mind went into a deep, dark whirl. An eruption of sudden anger that she had never felt before allowed her to break away from her screaming sister. With this one action, it was far too late to turn back, she had roared at the dark lion with the force of a demon. _

_ Before she could snap herself back to reality, he flashed his yellow fangs at her with a triumphant smirk. _

_ "Ah, there you are." He replied with a soft, almost inviting tone. Despite this, it sent a chill down her spine. "You've eluded me for long enough." _

_ The young cub tried to turn tail and run back to her sister but he immediately snatched her up with his claws. Her sister sprung to her paws from her hiding spot, roaring in complete anxiety._

_ "Let me go! Let me go!" she screamed loudly. _

_ "Let my sister go! Put her down!" _

_ "Please, sire. I beg of you! Call this madness off!" _

_ Another voice dripping with agony made itself known. From the entrance, a teenaged lioness hung her head, sobbing. It was the traitor; she was the one who tore apart their whole pride and her whole family in a single morning. She fell to the dark furred lion's paws, not trying to mask her shame. _

_ "Please, stop this senseless killing! This isn't what I wanted! I never asked for this!" _

_ "Oh, but you did my dear." The dark lion purred dangerously. "You betrayed your own family for a new world, one that you promised to build with me. Now, that this cub has fallen into my paws as a gift of providence, rise to your paws. You will witness the creation of a new kingdom; time will not stop what has been put into motion." _

_ The lioness limply stood, sobbing. An old prayer, almost like a madness mantra, started to repeat itself in her voice. Outside, the final roars of their pride sisters finally subsided and left an intangible reminder in the air. The young cub's sister stopped screaming as she too fell to her haunches in frozen despair, her irises shrunk in absolute defeat. There was officially no resistance for the dark lion to walk away from the cave with his prize. _

_ As for the young cub herself, she clung to the prayer that would haunt her very soul like it was a forbidden wish. It would be the last thing that she ever heard from her homeland._

_ Ubaya hauna kwao mola nisitri na njama zao _

_ There is no special place for their wickedness; Oh Lord, save me from their evil plots. _

**OoOo**

[In the Pride Lands, several months later]

The circle of life started again as it always did. The promise of new life could be heard in the wind as it carried itself around the African savannah, whispering of the change to come. It was heard in the animals who were getting ready to celebrate the creation of a new era and the shining future that they had been waiting for.

Far away from the lush green plains of the pride lands, a wise old baboon kept himself away from the festivities of the morning. He was busy, unable to join the rest of the kingdom just yet. His withered and elderly hands were covered in bright colored powder as he swiftly created the image of two cubs on the inside of the ancient baobab tree. Excitement filled his movements as he continued to work on the piece; drawing two noses, eyes and tails for emphasis.

Eventually the old baboon named Rafiki drew away from his work, his beady eyes flashing with amusement as he grinned at his masterpiece. At last, it was finished. With the soft light of the afternoon reflecting on the artwork, he couldn't contain his mirthful laughter.

It was time for him to introduce the new Prince and Princess to the Pride Lands.

Every animal in the kingdom walked in a line to Pride Rock. It was a breathtaking vision of a late afternoon. The unlimited sky that stretched over Africa was painted with vast hues of red, orange, yellows and intermixed with dusty shades of purple as the dusk was just starting to settle. Thousands flocked, big and small, from the mightiest elephant to the tiniest ant, in order to pay tribute to their new Prince and Princess.

The animals began to chant as they made their way to the ceremony. Animals like the antelope and zebra, stomped their hooves rhythmically. The elephants trumpeted powerfully out of pure joy, shattering the calm of the afternoon while the birds flew in the sky untouchable. Everyone was chanting and singing softly; it was an old traditional song that had been sung for generations in the pride lands. If one listened, the song would sound something like this:

_Ibanbeni njalo bakihi (Hold on my people)_

_Ninga diwla (Don't get weary)_

_Ninga phelelwa nga mandla (Don't lose your strength)_

The animals continued to march on, their voices filling with strength and pride. It was a song celebrating their triumph over the trouble that once plagued their land but most importantly; it was a song embracing their collective identity as one. Eventually their voices blended into a perfect harmony.

_One by one _

_Ngeka ba lunge (They will not succeed)_

_One by one _

_Siya ba bona (We can see)_

_Babe fun'ukusi qeda (They were trying to hold us back)_

_Ngoba thina (Because)_

_Siya zazi (We know who were are)_

Zazu, a brilliantly blue colored hornbill flew in a wide arc above everyone else. As the King's majordomo, he examined with a critical eye to see everything fall into place. Once he determined the ceremony was going smoothly, he flew back to Pride Rock to inform the King about the progress that had been made.

The majestic Pride Rock was basked in the shadows of a darkening sky, making the huge landmark stand out more than usual. Zazu soared into the mouth of the cave, smiling and bowing at the paws of the monarchs, Kiara and Kovu.

"It's time." Kovu, the King, whispered lovingly to his mate. He nuzzled his Queen's cheek, smiling tenderly down at his two bundles of joy. The cubs looked up at him with wide curious eyes.

Rafiki, as the kingdom's shaman, wasted no time in starting the tradition of anointing the newborns. The old baboon shook his gnarled staff at the two cubs playfully, getting a few soft mews from them in return. He then took one of the numerous heavy gourds hanging and cracked it open, allowing the red sticky juice to roll off the sides. Dipping his hand into one of the halves, he smeared a line onto the first born cub's forehead with his thumb, and then repeated the action with the other cub. This signaled that they were now protected by the Great Kings of the past. Next, he took a handful of sand and sprinkled it over them. It was a sign that they were part of the Circle of Life, for they will one day return to the ground much like their forefathers before them.

He gently plucked the firstborn from her mother's forepaws, cradling her protectively as if she was his own daughter while Kiara tenderly picked up the second cub by the nape of his neck. Rafiki motioned for Kiara and Kovu to get to their paws and follow him out onto the promontory of Pride Rock. When they stepped into the afternoon, a breath of air teased the two lions with its presence.

There was a respectful silence held as Rafiki started to slowly hobble his way to the end of Pride Rock. Everything on the earth frozen in fervent anticipation and was just waiting to burst. Who knew what this new generation would bring? What changes would the new heirs of the throne bring to the animals' way of life? Kovu and Kiara shared a proud glance at each other as a few leaves blew past them. Much like Queen Kiara's own birth, the animals knew that her grandfather was watching over them in blessing.

Nothing would be the same after tonight. After the cubs' presentation, it would finally cement the end of hatred between the pridelanders and the outsiders. The new Prince and Princess were a symbol of that union between the two once warring prides, showing that the road that was once paved with strife was now a clean slate of peace and harmony. There was no turning back now; today was the day that the past could finally be put to rest.

Finally, Rafiki made it to the end of Pride Rock. He proudly raised the two cubs high above his head, almost into the heavens so that the animals could see them. At that moment, wild cheers of all kinds exploded in a joyous uproar within the huge crowd below and flooded throughout the whole pride lands. The two cubs looked down upon the lands they would one day inherit and their subjects with confusion. They had no concept, no idea, of the endless hopes and dreams that their birth and eventually their lives would carry.

OoOo

After the night's celebration died down, the young King and Queen retreated back into their den for some alone time with the family. It was heartwarming sight to see, all of the pride sisters gave their blessings to the cubs, showing them with love and affection.

Queen Kiara was exhausted from all of the day's activities but wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It had been a full month and a half since she had been able to leave the birthing cave so she was so happy to finally share her newborns with the ones she cared for the most. At first, she had been very nervous, like new mothers usually were but she had Kovu supporting her the entire time. When the ex outlander first found out he was going to be a father; Kovu tried his best to make sure that she was as comfortable as she could be. Every day, he would take time out to sit and listen with renewed awe over the sound of their cubs inside of her. The young couple each had their own ideas for what they wanted to do with their new family, like how Kovu wanted to raise his sons how to become fierce yet kind fighters or how Kiara wanted to spend every day playing with her daughters.

Near the tail end of Kiara's pregnancy, Kovu had become much more fussy and overbearing but Kiara found it adorable that he had already fallen into the fathering role so quickly, even at the expense of her own sanity. Once they were born, Kiara saw the pure happiness radiating from her mate, tears and all. As for herself, the moment she laid eyes upon them, she _knew_ she was in love. Her son and daughter were so tiny, so helpless yet Kiara instantly felt warmth that she had never felt before inside of her heart. They were a gift made out of the love between her and Kovu, making them all the more precious.

The young Queen smiled down at the two cubs. Their son was the rich dark color of the earth itself while their daughter held the golden orange of the African sunset itself almost mirroring a younger version of herself and Kovu.

"They're so perfect, Kiara," her mate purred into her ear as Kiara beamed up at him. "You're made me the happiest lion alive."

"And you have made me the happiest lion_ess _alive." Kiara whispered back. They shared a loving nuzzle, not wanting to pull away from each other. Feeling the two cubs nestle closer to her in response, the lioness let out a giggle, "I guess they want to share the love too."

Kovu smiled warmly, "I see."

He slowly bent down bent down and very lightly nuzzled the tiny cubs with his nose, speaking in a playful whisper, "Hey there! Is it okay with you two to share mommy with me?"

The male half of the two cubs yawned at him, his cute pink tongue unfurling lazily. He then snuggled closer to his mother's warm fur, prompting a wide grin from his father.

"That's a definite no," Kovu noted, still grinning.

Kiara laughed, "Looks like we had a case of father, like son when it comes to sharing!"

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Kovu replied sincerely, settling back down.

"I still can't believe my little girl's all grown up now," announced Simba, grinning like the proud grandfather he was. The large gold lion playfully dipped his head in front of the cubs allowing them to play with his mane, while Nala, their grandmother playfully cooed at the sight of them.

"Daddy, please! You're embarrassing me," Kiara giggled again, shifting her forelegs so that her parents could get a better look at the cubs.

"It's my _job _to embarrass you," her father told her smoothly, flashing the orange lioness a toothy grin. "Call it pay back for all those years of making me a nervous wreck."

Nala rolled her turquoise eyes at him in amusement, adding, "Don't pay any attention to your father, Kiara. He will behave himself while I'm around. By the way, have you picked any names for the cubs yet?"

Kovu and Kiara exchanged glances. They had come up with their answer a long time ago.

"Actually…Simba, Nala," Kovu said, smiling warmly. "We decided that we want you to do the honors of naming our cubs."

Simba looked shocked, yet touched by this announcement, "Oh wow…I-I'm speechless here. Are you sure you both want this?"

"Of course, we couldn't think of anyone better than you to do the job," Kovu told him, still smiling warmly. A teasing smirk then crossed his handsome features, "Besides, I'm pretty sure you old timers know a lot more names than we do."

"How nice of you to remind us, Kovu," The former King replied, dryly. He smiled down at the tiny brown cub in Kiara's forelegs," Well, little guy, I think we'll call you Tanabi."

"Tanabi?" Kiara asked.

Simba nodded, "Your grandfather used to tell me stories about him all the time when I was a cub. Tanabi was one of the greatest Kings of the pride lands and one of my favorites."

Nala nuzzled Simba affectionately before dotingly licking the female cub, "Since your little brother's name is Tanabi, then you will be Ayira; my precious granddaughter. It's a beautiful name for a beautiful princess."

"Tanabi and Ayira…" Kiara murmured thoughtfully, trying the names in her head a few times. She smiled as her son yawned and gently rubbed his back, "Sounds perfect."

Soon Kovu and Kiara leaned into each other tiredly. They shared another proud smile, nothing in the world could compare to the love they had for their new family. It was more than just a dream come true. Tomorrow, they would fall back into their boring routine of ruling the kingdom. However, for right now, celebrating their cubs was all that really mattered. It was a moment they would never forget and cherish for their whole lives.

That night, a shooting star fell from the sky, marking the birth of Prince Tanabi and Princess Ayira of the pride lands.

* * *

…_Aand, that's it for chapter one! How was it? Was it pretty decent or was it ohmahgod eye bleeding, baby slapping horrible? I'm kind of hoping this chapter wasn't compelling enough to slap a baby, but hey at least it's a reaction XD. Next chapter we'll see an old face and go into some character development for the cubs (Oooh!) along with more back-story for the no-named girl cub. _

_Funnily enough, while Ayira's name was always Ayira in the rough drafts, Tanabi's name went through so many different changes. He was going to be Taraji, then Kiume, then Chaka but then I just stole the name Tanabi since it had no meaning and I couldn't possibly mess that up, hooray! Anyways, until next time, Chizy out~_

_Name meanings-_

_Ayira: chosen one in Luo_


	2. Grandpa Simba

**The Lion King III: The Chosen Ones**

_**Cub Arc: Who Are You?**_

_**Chapter Two: Grandpa Simba**_

**….**

_After night fell, the dark lion rounded up what was left of the survivors. Forcing them into a small line, he demanded that they obey his complete commands and to march out into the world unknown. His rogues kept everyone together, snapping their jaws at any straggler that fell behind and quickly dealing out a physical beating for those who didn't comply. Not only was the dark lion stealing away their free will but he also demanded their pride as well, forcing them to address him as "King" instead of the murderer that he was. _

_The young cub kept to herself the whole time. She hated how he kept her specifically at her side, away from everyone she ever knew. She couldn't cry anymore, the endless stretch of desert had dried up all of her tears and replaced them with a cold, bone chilling fear that stole her voice. She had very quickly that loose words from her mouth would result in another death. _

_Sand and relentless pain blurred the edge of time for the young cub; she didn't even realize that they had finally reached the border of the "King's" land. More ferocious and ugly rogues met them at the border. They jeered cruelly at their new guests and a couple of them spat at some of the older lionesses, their faces alight at the thought of fresh meat. Their "King's" throne stood in the darkness like a demonic fortress and soon hard roars filled the air. _

_Soon the young cub and her pride learned that they were now part of a dark brotherhood, known as The Shadow Pride. This would be the everlasting hell for the rest of their lives, one that they would never be able to escape from. _

**OooO**

Another morning sprang life to the pride lands. It was going to be another one of those peaceful days that everyone had come to expect. The animals aimlessly grazed the plains, going on with their lives without a care in the world.

However, for the unfortunate souls who lived in Pride Rock, no morning was ever normal. Prince Tanabi made sure of that.

There was no doubting which side of the family the cub took after. Tanabi was the spitting image of his mother, from her big bright eyes to her goofy smile. A chubby little ball of fluff and energy, he also took after his grandfather with the dark markings in his inner ears and the curious red orange tuft that grew on his head. The only thing that Tanabi seemed to have inherited from his father at all was his dark coloring.

The young lion snickered quietly to himself. His sister wouldn't know what hit her; he had executed his master plan out so well. Tanabi easily snuck some of the crazy old baboon's colored powder out from right under his nose. Now came the hard part, dying his sister's tail without her realizing it.

Tanabi smirked as he carefully picked up his sister's tail with his paw, dipping it into the blue powder. He held his breath when the female cub twitched a little in her sleep but otherwise, she remained in a deep slumber.

_Oh man, I can't wait to see the look on sis' face. She's so gonna flip! Tanabi, you are a genius._

Getting to his paws and stretching; he decided to move on to his next prank. There were more plenty of victims just waiting to keep him entertained.

Until his sister woke up, that is. Tanabi stood frozen in place as Ayira yawned and fixed her tired eyes on her brother. For twins, they couldn't have looked any different. While Tanabi looked like an outlander version of his mother, Ayira was the female version of their father. Ayira had not only his sharp green eyes but his crooked smile as well, even her bright orange crème fur held a natural dull tint.

Tanabi grinned goofily at her, trying his best not to look so guilty. "Morning sis!"

His twin yawned flatly, "How can you be awake and happy about it?"

"How can you not be?" Tanabi asked, jumping playfully in front of her. "C'mon, sleepy bones! We gotta wake up grandpa."

"You are such a cub."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's _so_ hard being a prissy girl like you, ain't it?"

Ayira shot him a look, one that might as well have told him to jump off the edge of Pride Rock head first. Tanabi tried not to stare at her new blue tail but he let out a snicker of amusement. The princess wrinkled up her nose at him.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing…just wonderin' when your tail started turning blue…"

Staring at Tanabi like he had lost his mind again, Ayira suddenly felt that her tail felt oddly wet and sticky. As soon as she brought her tail around and caught sight of the blue appendage, the female cub shrieked angrily at him.

"TANABI!"

The Prince started to laugh even more at her, knowing it would set his older sister off. He suddenly turned around and ran away frantically with Ayira hot on his tail.

"YOU BETTER RUN!"

Ayira's loud screams startled everyone in the main cave. Tanabi continued to laugh like a maniac as he hopped over several bodies of the once sleeping lionesses. The pride sisters let out a collective sigh before grumbling about how they could never get a morning without a fight.

"Nyah! Nyah! You can't catch me!"

Tanabi stuck his tongue right at his sister. The angry look on his sister's face was almost too funny for words. Smirking, he picked up speed, confident that there was no way she could catch up to him.

"Come back here!" she screamed through her fangs. "So I can kill you!"

"Like you could! You run so slowly even our furless great granny can run faster than you!"

That did it. The orange cub quickly started to catch up with him and Tanabi let out a horrified cry. They zoomed in a wide arc around the cave and Tanabi suddenly felt the urge to wish that his parents were somewhere close by to save his sorry hide. Ayira closed the distance between the two of them and pounced onto Tanabi's back, slamming him into the ground. The two siblings then got into a loud verbal match which involved biting and scratching each other in retaliation.

"What's going on here?" A soft yet firm male voice demanded. Simba stood over the two cubs, looking down at them sternly. Ayira immediately got off of Tanabi.

_Aww crap, when did __he__ wake up? _Tanabi thought nervously to himself as he flashed an innocent grin up at the massive golden lion, "…Hi, Grandpa! Nice to see you…_still_ in the den…eheh…"

Now, Grandpa Simba was one of Tanabi's favorite family members mainly because he could take a joke or a prank unlike his parents. In fact, his grandfather would often whisper little things in his ear to try on his parents from time to time. Tanabi also marveled at how big his grandpa was. The golden lion was made of nothing but pure muscle; he was like a real life giant. Everyone said that Tanabi was looked and acted like Simba when he was younger, which he took as a compliment.

"Grandfather, look what Tanabi did to me!" Ayira whined, lifting her tail. "I'm sorry for being disobedient but that stupid head deserved it!"

Tanabi scowled at her, "You were trying to kill me with those crazy claws! How did I deserve that?"

Simba sighed tiredly, "Tanabi. Your parents justgot onto you about your pranks yesterday. I think you owe everyone here and apology."

The brown cub turned around and bowed his head in apology, noting the non- too pleasant looks he was getting from the pride, "Sorry everyone!"

After getting a few murmurs in response, Tanabi turned back to his grandfather who was still looking at him with disappointment. He lowered his ears, he was used to this look by now and he hated it. Anger he could deal with, but disappointment, he didn't understand why it bothered him so much.

"So where are we going today, grandfather?" Ayira asked as respectfully as she could.

The old former king shrugged, saying coolly, "We were going to go down to the watering hole and take a stroll. I figure that since both of you have been listening so well during our lessons, you should be able to relax and play afterwards…but I'm not so sure now."

Tanabi gaped at him in shock; that was so unfair! If he knew that before, he wouldn't have even done the prank. "Aww…c'mon Grandpa, please? I won't do it again, I promise!"

"Hmm…I don't know, Tanabi," Simba said slowly and thoughtfully, with a hint of playfulness in his voice. "I don't think you deserve it."

"I didn't mean any harm, I was just bored! Please Grandpa, I won't do it again!" Tanabi pleaded, lowering his ears out of guilt and feeling sorrier than he ever did.

Simba raised an eyebrow in amusement," You have some serious thrill issues, kid. Alright we can go." Before Tanabi could let out a cheer, he quickly added in a stern tone, "But _no_ monkey business, got it? You start acting out again and I'll take you straight home. Clear?"

The Prince nodded instantly, not wanting his grandpa to change his mind. Simba smiled down at him and playfully ruffled the fluff on top of his head.

"What am I going to do with a little scamp like you?" Simba asked affectionately, showing that he had no hard feelings. He then grinned at the two young cubs," Well c'mon then! Last one there's a rotten hornbill egg!"

"Cool!" Tanabi exclaimed, quickly darting to the exit of Pride Rock to his destination. He couldn't waitto get out of that stuffy cave. He ran out onto the promontory and bounced down the stone like steps. Today was going to be a good day.

**O****o****o****O**

The water hole was always one of Tanabi's favorite spots and it was also Grandpa Simba's too. It was always packed with random, bizarre animals to talk to and play with. Not to mention all the fun of swimming in the water. Today, however, they had arrived much earlier than the other animals. Tanabi didn't care; it just meant they had the whole place to themselves.

Ever since Tanabi was old enough to remember, their grandpa had always taken them out for little field trips throughout the kingdom and taught them about different things on life. Their parents were usually too busy with their duties in the mornings and they thought that Simba was the best choice for teaching him and his sister about respect for their subjects.

Tanabi always found these lessons boring. Which was weird considering his Grandpa Simba was so much fun to be around and would let him get away with more than his parents ever did. Though when lesson time came around, you could forget it, Grandpa Simba turned into such a killjoy.

Tanabi didn't understand any of the old lion's ramblings, who would want to be King anyway? All it was were rules, rules and more rules and helping everyone with their problems. He had figured out a long time ago why his parents were so boring to be around, it was because they had the fun sucked out of them.

While waiting for his grandpa to start his lessons, Tanabi had found a freaky looking chameleon in the tall grasses. Out of boredom and curiosity, he had started to stalk the strange creature unaware that he had broken his grandpa's rule of playing: stay where he could see you.

"_Psst_! Ayira, come here! Look at this!" the prince whispered in awe to his sister. His carmine eyes widened in amazement as the chameleon's eyes flickered wildly. _This is so cool! _

"This better not be another stupid trick of yours, Tanabi." Ayira replied unimpressed by her brother as she walked towards him," Because if it is, I'm not falling for it."

"Just c'mere for a sec," Tanabi hissed at her.

Frowning at him, Ayira crouched down for a look and her eyes grew wide.

"Eww! What is that thing? Ouch! What was that for?"

"Stop being such a girl! You're gonna scare it away!"

"I am a girl, stupid. Anyway, I'm surprised you haven't scared it with that ugly face of yours."

"You're uglier than I am!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Your mama!" Tanabi retorted back, receiving a cold look from his older sister. "…What? Hey, hey, it's getting away!"

The chameleon finally realized that the two cubs were occupied with fighting and it started to walk away. Tanabi jumped in front of it, bending down to its face and waved his tail playfully. He then let out a playful roar to see if the chameleon would be afraid, but it continued on unfazed. Tanabi's might and powerful roar wasn't what he thought it was. It sounded like a pathetic mew. Ayira laughed at him.

"You call _that_ a roar?" Ayira teased Tanabi, who was now pouting. She pushed her brother aside, "Let this so called 'girl' show you how it's done."

_You're not gonna be much better sis_. Tanabi rolled his eyes at her as she waited until the chameleon got a little way further before jumping in front of it. The orange cub then let out a roar, one that was a bit stronger than Tanabi's. The chameleon jumped at the sudden sound, making the two cubs laugh.

Getting in on the fun, Tanabi returned Ayira's roar from behind, making the chameleon jump up again in fright. The two cubs trapped the poor thing and continued to let out roars back and forth, scaring the chameleon silly.

"Tanabi! Ayira!" Simba shouted over the two cubs. They stopped laughing and allowed the chameleon to escape. "Why were you picking on that poor creature?"

"Because it was funny," Tanabi snickered but quickly dropped his smile when Simba shook his head at him. Apparently, this wasn't the answer his Grandpa was looking for.

"Cubs, how would you feel if someone was picking on you?" Simba asked curiously.

Both cubs shared a glance.

"Well, pretty bad I guess," Tanabi said after a minute of thought. He then wrinkled his nose up," But Grandpa, that thing was _so _weird!"

Simba chuckled softly once again, "He probably thinks the same thing about you, Tanabi. That still doesn't give you the right to pick on that chameleon."

The young prince hung his head a little, "Yes grandpa..."

Ayira tilted her head in confusion, "But grandpa, I thought you said we were all the same…we're all part of the circle of life, right? How can we be the same when he looks nothing like us?"

"Just because someone isn't the same as you doesn't mean that they don't have feelings or dreams like you do, Ayira," the former king told her gently. "So remember to treat others like you want to be treated."

When the siblings didn't reply and continued to stare up at Simba, he gave a knowing smile and turned his attention to something else in the distance.

"Maybe this will help you understand. Look out as far as you can see: there are plenty of animals, big and small, young and old, that live together in harmony. Like we depend on the antelope and zebra to eat and when they die, they turn into the grass and the antelope eat that new grass. Everyone in this kingdom has a part in the circle of life and it's those small differences that make this kingdom whole."

Tanabi tried to picture what his grandpa told him, a world with nothing else but lions. It didn't seem like such a fun place to live. There wouldn't be much to look at that was for sure, if the antelopes and the zebras made up the grass.

"You're right, Grandpa Simba…it'd be kind of boring if everyone was the same."

Simba grinned, "Yeah, it would be little buddy. But I'm not expecting you to understand all the secrets of the kingdom now, that'll come in time when you're older."

"I hope I'll be as wise as you are when I'm Queen," Ayira told him as she lied down on the ground. The young princess gave a content yawn, "You must know everything!"

"I wouldn't say all that now, I still have plenty to learn while I'm still here just like you," Simba said to his granddaughter and grandson. He raised an eyebrow at Tanabi, who was currently bouncing his leg up and down crazily as he was sitting, "Are you okay?"

"Can we go play now? Please? Please? _Please_?" Tanabi asked impatiently with a grin.

Simba laughed ruefully, "Sure, why not? But on my count, one…two…"

There was no need for a third count because as soon as the word escaped Simba's mouth, a brown blur shot past him with such speed that the former king barely had time to react. A huge splash was seen and the next thing he saw was Tanabi floating on his back in the watering hole.

Simba grinned mischievously and decided to run after Tanabi, cannon-balling into the cold water. The brown cub gasped out in horror as the impact of his heavy grandpa hitting the water made a wave that crashed over him. Tanabi ducked his head and rode the wave, playfully dog paddling to the surface.

"Booga booga!" Simba cried out as he popped out from behind Tanabi, shaking his head and tongue back and forth crazily.

The brown cub giggled when his grandpa grabbed him, "Oh no, the monster got me! Help me sis!"

"That can't be natural…" Ayira quipped, shuddering at the thought of water. She laughed a little when she saw their grandpa; he looked so ridiculous with his huge red wet mane covering his whole face like that.

"C'mon in Ayira, it feels great!" Simba announced cheerfully.

"Yeah Ayira!"

The orange cub rolled her eyes, "No. A future queen doesn't play around in the water and get her fur wet and dirty."

"That's it little missy, you are _so _getting in now," Simba teased, grinning.

He jumped out of the water hole and shook himself off beside Ayira, the water droplets hit her at every angle.

"Ewwwwwww! Grandpa, stop it!" she complained but was laughing at the same time, blocking her face with her paws. "W-wait, what are you doing? Grandpa!"

Simba laughed heartily as he playfully but gently pushed Ayira into the water. The female cub came back up, spluttering and glared at Simba like she was going to bite him.

Tanabi snickered, "Ha ha! Looks like the queen isn't so high and mighty now, _huh_ grandpa?"

Simba and Ayira grinned at each other before directing their attention to the brown cub, "Splash attack!"

"What?"

The grandpa and granddaughter duo splashed at Tanabi as hard as they could. Tanabi giggled and fought back. Soon, everyone found themselves chasing each other in the water, splashing back and forth, having the time of their lives. Their wild laughter could be heard all throughout the morning.

**O****o****o****O**

Simba yawned tiredly as the afternoon sun's glow rested on his face, tickling him with its toasty warmth. On his chest, two small cubs were sound asleep and were curled up into tight ball on his soft, fluffy mane. The golden lion ran a paw over his grandcubs, smiling tenderly at them, thanking the spirits of the past that they were finally asleep.

_Who would've thought any of that would have come out of my mouth? _The former king thought to himself amusedly, thinking about their lesson. _Man, Nala's right. I _am_ getting old._

He could've laughed at the irony of it all. A little more than a year ago, it was his worst nightmare that Scar's successor would take over the pridelands. Now, here he was, the proud grandfather of two bright cubs. Life was so crazy like that.

As he watched his cubs sleep, Simba remembered how it felt like almost yesterday that he was in their spot. The golden lion had no doubt that his lesson went blissfully through one ear and out the other for them but that was how he wanted it. There was no need for his grand cubs to grow up so fast; all he wanted was that they had an easier cub hood than he did.

Smiling down at his little princess and prince one last time, Simba also closed his heavy lidded eyes and allowed sleep to take over.

Back then, life was perfect in the pride lands.

* * *

_Way to go Simba, ruin the whole frickin' chapter by giving a public service speech on The Circle of Life :-P. Lol, actually I did enjoy writing the monologue, it made me feel like I was somewhat staying true to TLK's style of giving us life lessons. Hopefully I did an okay job on it. Until next time, Chizy out~_


	3. Brother Vs Sister

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones**

_**Cub Arc**_

**Chapter Three- Brother Vs. Sister**

* * *

_Boring..._

_Boring, boring, boring..._

Tanabi sighed in irritation. It was one of those types of mornings he hated with every fiber of his being. One those mornings that could possibly destroy any little cub's soul.

It was raining.

At first, Tanabi wasn't worried. Despite the sky overhead looking a little grey here and there; it seemed like any normal day. Of course, it was more like he was _wishing_ really hard that it would be like a normal day. For the second time in the little cub's life, the great kings of the past proved they had other things to do instead of keeping him happy.

Now, it was pouring, the ice cold rain looked like little ants flying out of the sky. The dark clouds above them started making loud rumbling noises and whenever it started to rain; the lionesses felt the need to stay inside which naturally included their cubs.

"This is _so_ boring!" Tanabi complained to both of his parents, who looked down at their son in amusement."You guys can go outside all you want, so why can't I?"

"Your mom and I have to watch over the pride lands. You know that already Tanabi," Kovu replied to his son as he stood up, getting ready to go.

Like the rest of the pride, the former assassin had grown a lot. Though he was at a very imposing stature, he was no where near as big as Simba was. But where Kovu lacked in size, he made up in muscle, something that the former king never quite had in his youth.

"And besides, why would you want to go play out in the wet mud anyways? It's disgusting!" Kovu made a pretend sick face and stuck out his tongue playfully. Tanabi was less than impressed.

"I thought you said mom doesn't run your life," Tanabi said flatly.

"And you have been hanging around your aunt Vitani _way_ too much," Kovu said lightly, inwardly cringing. _Lead it to 'Tani to put that type of thought into his mind._ "But you're right; your mother doesn't have _anything_ on me." he said cockily, puffing out his chest before he was interrupted by a slight cough behind him.

"What was that, Kovu?" Kiara demanded teasingly, her hazel eyes sparkling in dark cave. She sat down beside her mate and glared at him.

"Oh! Uh nothing!" Kovu amended sheepishly, giving Kiara a weak grin. Kiara laughed lightly.

"You are such a bad liar," the orange lioness replied cheekily to Kovu as he smiled wider and nuzzled her. She then directed her attention to her son, "Tanabi, stop bothering your dad. You could catch a cold in this weather or you could get dirty. I just cleaned you yesterday, young lion."

Tanabi frowned and mumbled under his breath, "That's not a very good reason."

Unfortunately for him, Kiara could hear him as clear as day.

"You want another reason? The reason is because I am your mother and I said so," Kiara shot back, getting mildly irritated. She was not in the mood to argue with Tanabi this morning.

"You'd best listen to your mother, master Tanabi. It's not very becoming of a young prince like yourself to talk back," reprimanded the snooty and proper voice of Zazu. The tiny blue bird flew into the mouth of the den and landed gracefully at the paws of Tanabi's parents, soaked to the bone. Tanabi resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the majordomo, why did that bird _always_ think everyone wanted to hear his opinion?

"Good morning Zazu. I hope you didn't have too hard of a time getting here," Kovu greeted him. Zazu scoffed.

"I wouldn't call this a good morning, especially with all this rain. But what can I say, duty calls," Zazu looked the two monarchs up and down like he was inspecting them. "I can only hope that the riff raff will stay in for the day. We don't want another repeat of yesterday, do we?"

Kiara sighed playfully, "Come on, Zazu. Don't be so hard on us, it was a long day. We were only having a little fun with the giraffes…"

"…And the days are only going to be longer from here on out. May I remind you that you are no longer a giggly air headed cub, Queen Kiara? That goes _doubly_ for you sire, so stop snickering!"

The dark brown lion smirked at him, "Sorry Zaz. Well, we should probably get going so you can 'teach' us again, huh?"

Tanabi blew up his bangs in an audible huff. There the adults go again, blabbering on about who knows what and forgetting his much more important needs. He playfully yanked on his mom's foreleg to catch her attention, hoping that she would be distracted enough to change her mind about going outside.

"So does that mean I can go out an' play now? C'mon, I can help you be queen an' stuff." he asked hopefully, grinning up at his mom.

"Didn't I _just_ say no to you a few seconds ago?"

"But _mooom_!" Tanabi whined, putting on his best puppy dog face. She couldn't resist the sad, pathetic look. "I'm gonna die of boredom in here! I'm gonna die and it'll be all you an' Dad's fault 'cuz I died."

He made a dramatic pause and his red eyes widened in shock."Oh no! It's already starting to happen! I can't breathe!" Tanabi clutched at his chest with his paw and started to breathe harder."Good-bye mom!" He fell onto his back with a thud at his parents' paws, closing his eyes and letting his tongue fall to the side of his mouth.

"My, someone would make a great actor," Zazu noted dryly. The 'dead' Tanabi screwed up his face in annoyance and stuck his tongue out at the hornbill.

"Tanabi. If you are so bored why don't you go play with Jelani for a while? I'm pretty sure he's awake by now," Kovu suggested before he mentally smacked himself. _Tanabi and Jelani?_ _Together? _That was as bad as telling his son it was okay to commit mass murder. Before he could take back his statement, Tanabi leapt back onto his paws.

"Yeah! That'll be great!" Tanabi cried out excitedly; it was amazing how one word could bring somebody back to life. Jelani was his best friend in the whole world. He started snickering, thinking of all of the trouble they could get themselves into.

"…Now, hold on a minute. You better promise me that you won't get into trouble while we're gone."

"Yeah, I promise," Tanabi said dismissively, rolling his eyes.

"Tanabi, I _mean_ it this time. If I find out you have gotten into any trouble while your mom and I are gone, you won't be able to sit for a week."

Tanabi gulped and nodded slowly. Kovu, surprisingly, was more laid-back than Kiara. He rarely scolded Tanabi, but when he was angry… Tanabi doubted even an elephant could stand up to his dad. The last time he got into trouble was a couple of days ago, but it wasn't really his fault. Nobody told him that fire ants weren't allowed in the caves.

"Okay then, since we've gotten that out of the way. See ya later kiddo," Kovu said cheerfully again; his dark mood gone.

Tanabi rubbed up against his father and purred softly as his way of telling his father good-bye and did the same for his mother before going to where Jelani was staying.

However, Tanabi made a little pit stop to find his sister.

_**O**o**o**O_

_Sis' still asleep? She ain't gonna be for long, _Tanabi snickered to himself as he started to tip toe up to the sleeping cub, who was currently snoring and oblivious to her surroundings.

The young prince accidentally kicked a small pebble with his paw and Ayira stirred but settled back down. Sighing in relief, he got to where the orange cub was and put one of his paws on her. He slowly turned the princess on her back.

"_Ayira? Ayira? Wake up_," Tanabi whispered into the cub's ear, which flicked slightly. She wrinkled up her nose and opened up one very tired green eye.

"Do you wanna lose that paw?" Ayira snarled fiercely at her brother, almost in a demonic tone of voice. Tanabi jumped back in fright and shock, too afraid to say anything. He decided to leave his sister alone.

He walked further into the den where most of the lionesses would stay and talk. Many of the lionesses smiled brightly at the young prince, offering their good mornings to him. He grinned as he saw three familiar faces lying around lazily in the back of the cave. His grandma Nala was chatting with his aunt Vitani while his best friend Jelani was struggling out of a bath. Vitani had the cub pinned down pretty good though and was throughly cleaning him, gving him a few hard looks in response to his whinying.

"But I wanna go outside," said a young cub to his mother who rolled her blue eyes in annoyance. "C'mon mom, be a rebel!"

"What you want and what you are going to _get_ are two totally different things," the rugged lioness retorted back, not missing a beat. "And if you keep on arguing with me, you're going to be missing a pair of lips."

Tanabi snickered slightly, "Good morning Aunt 'Tani! Good morning Grandma!"

"Mornin' squirt," Vitani replied back to Tanabi with a small smile on her face.

"Good morning Tanabi," Nala said sweetly, following up with a yawn.

To Tanabi, his aunt and grandma couldn't've looked any different. His aunt, who was young like his mother, looked a lot like most of the pride, tough and almost masculine with her scruffy dull mustard colored fur. His grandma Nala looked her complete opposite and represented what the other half of the pride looked like, she was move heavier set than Vitani and had a smooth light beige almost white colored fur that shone in the sunlight. Even their eyes, which were various shades of blue, held some many differences and secrets that Tanabi couldn't understand. Vitani's were deep and quick like lightning, they looked like they were studying every move you made but grandma Nala's were just pools of aquamarine calmness.

"Lo Tanabi, wanna fight?" asked Jelani as he jumped in front of the prince, snarling playfully.

Jelani was a cub around Tanabi's age; having dark tawny fur and lighter colored paws, stomach and mussle. Unlike his friend and mother, Jelani barely had any hair fur but weirdly enough; black fur grew on the tips of his ears. The only thing noticeable about the cub was his striking light gray eyes which contrasted greatly with the rest of his body.

"You know it!" Tanabi growled back as he threw himself at Jelani, catching the cub at his side.

Jelani yelped in surprise and lashed out with his hind legs, launching Tanabi off of him. The tawny cub then pounced him, pinning him to the ground and started to gnaw on Tanabi's ear. Tanabi snarled and shoved him off with his forelegs.

The next thing they knew, the two cubs went tumbling around in a tangle of limbs, paws, claws and tails with Jelani eventually winding up on top. Tanabi squirmed out of his tight spot, swiping at his rival, laughing.

"Hey, stop it you two, you could hurt someone!" Nala warned.

Vitani chuckled wryly. "Don't worry Nala, I got this," she took a deep breath and then said very loudly. "OI! YOU FURBALLS BETTER STOP FIGHTING BEFORE I KNOCK THE BOTH OF YA OUT!"

Just like that, Tanabi and Jelani froze in place, eyes wide from shock. Smirking at the two of them, Vitani sat back down next to Nala.

"I'm impressed," Nala said as she raised an eyebrow at the tawny lioness who shrugged.

"Hey, it's a gift. You have to keep your cubs reigned in some how."

"Well, that was fun while it lasted," Jelani said with a sigh. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"I dunno, you're usually the idea guy," Tanabi quipped. Suddenly, a sneaky plan formed into his mind and he grinned brightly. "…Hey _grandma_, can me an' Jelani go somewhere?"

"No."

"Oh, haha, I get it. You old lionesses and your stupid manners or whatever. _May_ Jelani and I go somewhere?"

"_No_, Tanabi."

"Aww c'mon grandma," he complained. "You ain't even tryin to listen to where I wanna go."

"I'm an old lioness, remember? It's not my fault my ears aren't as they used to be," Nala teased dryly. "But alright, try me."

"We just wanna go visit Kutu for a while, right Jelani?"

"_Kutu? _Why are we going to see her?" Jelani blurted out incredulously, making a face. Tanabi jabbed him hard in his side. "Ouch..._Oh yeah_, Kutu...Yeah haven't played with her in a long time." Jelani quickly flashed a grin back at his mother and Nala.

"Mhm sure. I believe that for a second," Nala said playfully, leaning into the two cubs faces. "Where do you really want to go, not anywhere where you could cause any trouble, right?"

"Trouble? What trouble?" Tanabi and Jelani replied simultaneously, grinning innocently from ear to ear.

"It's okay Nala. They can go," Vitani relented as the two cubs cheered but then raised her voice. "'Cause Jelani knows if he does something he isn't supposed to, his dad'll skin him alive."

The two cubs made sure they had gotten outside of Vitani and Nala's earshots before they decided to talk again.

"We're not really going to see Kutu, are we?"

"…Where have you been? We're gonna go play outside."

"Really," Jelani dead panned. "And how exactly are we going to do that with all of the paranoid lionesses around?"

"There's a hole in my parents' cave that we can squeeze through," Tanabi bragged, his red eyes dancing wickedly. "It goes through the back way and _nobody _will know we're even gone. Sometimes I even sneak out at night when my folks are asleep."

"You are so bad," Jelani said with a smirk as he patted his friend on the back. "I like your style."

"I _know_ I'm bad," Tanabi said proudly as they found his parents' sleeping spot. He grinned as he spotted the small hole in the rocky wall.

Unknown to him however, this was the same hole his own mother snuck out of, all of those months ago to go find his father on the eve of the Battle of Reunion. Tanabi nudged his head in the direction of the hole, urging Jelani to go ahead and crawl through.

"What do you think you are doing?" Ayira demanded as they turned around. She was already scowling at the both of them.

"It's none of your business," Tanabi snapped. "So just leave us alone."

"You were thinking about sneaking out, weren't you?" Ayira shot back angrily, " I'm telling Aunt Vitani!"

Tanabi rolled his eyes at her and scoffed, "Go ahead_. _I _want_ you to tell," his voice then got angrier. "I'm tired of you always bossing me around. You're not my mom!"

"Somebody has to be around here. You are acting out of control!"

"Shut up Ayira. You're not queen yet. So stop tryin' to run my life. And you wonder why you don't have any friends."

"I do have friends!" Ayira protested. Her voice rose as the fur on her back started bristling. "Don't even start it with me, Tanabi!"

"Why not? You know it's true," Tanabi retorted, getting more aggravated. He then started to walk in front of Ayira, speaking in a high falsetto voice "Oh, look at me! I'm Ayira; I think I'm so perfect. And I am perfect, _sooooooo_ perfect that nobody even likes me!"

"Stop it!" Ayira warned; hurt starting to show in her eyes, "I _hate_ you!"

"No, I won't! You started it so you're gonna shut up an' take it," Tanabi snapped, glowering into his sister's face. Ayira glared back at him before breaking eye contact. The orange cub then turned around and ran away, sobbing.

Tanabi watched as she ran off, sighing bitterly. He didn't want to say all those mean things to Ayira but she was really getting on his nerves. The brown cub then decided to ignore her and crawl up under the hole anyways but stopped as he noticed Jelani looking at him with wide eyes.

"What?" snapped Tanabi.

"Dude...that was harsh," Jelani said softly, obviously feeling guilty about Ayira crying.

"And you're point is? You want me to start on you too?" Tanabi said irritably. Jelani lowered his ears. Feeling even worse, Tanabi snapped again, "Are you coming or you just gonna sit there?"

Jelani nodded reluctantly. With that, Tanabi and Jelani went through the hole in the cave wall, not looking back.

_**O**o**o**O_

A bit further, in the shadows, a pair of hurt green eyes was watching them.

* * *

_So how was chapter three? Poor Ayira. She's only looking out for her little brother. Sniff! I know Tanabi is being a full-blown jerk right now, but he's gonna get his I promise. Anyways, please review if you wish._

_Names:_

_Jelani: Mighty _

_Kutu: Rust _

**Edit: 10/19/10**


	4. A New Friend

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones**

_**Cub Arc**_

**Chapter Four: A New Friend**

* * *

"I can't believe it was that easy," Jelani exclaimed as he finally got through the hole.

Tanabi rolled his eyes at his companion, still in a bad mood. "Of course it was Jelani. Stop actin' like a little cub."

"Hey, hey! Don't get all mad with me 'cause you feel bad about yelling at your sister," Jelani remarked off-handily as he idly played with his tail.

"I'm _not_ upset Jelani," Tanabi snapped at the dark tawny cub before letting out a sigh. He adverted his eyes as Jelani started smirking at him.

"C'mon Tanabi, I know you better than anyone else," said Jelani. "Just cheer up, at least you got rid of her."

"But I didn't have to be so mean about it," Tanabi murmured, lowering his ears. "I didn't mean to get so angry at her but she is can be so annoying. What's her problem anyways?"

Jelani put a comforting paw on Tanabi's shoulder.

"Tanabi, Tanabi, Tanabi," Jelani said slowly, a wry grin spreading on his maw. "Don't you know all lionesses act like this? She'll get over it, don't worry. Ayira is just acting out 'cause she's a girl and she can't handle the truth."

Tanabi eyed Jelani weirdly, "I wouldn't say that around your mom if I were you."

Jelani frowned. "But that just makes me more right. My dad says that to me all the time and the last time he said that to Mom, she kicked him out of the den. Tanabi, girls are crazy."

Tanabi chuckled as he wryly shook his head, leave it to Jelani to say something like that. "You're right Jelani. I need to cheer up," he scooped up a paw full of icky, gooey mud and threw it at Jelani's face. Laughing, he flicked Jelani on the forehead and backed away with a grin. "Tag you're it!"

Jelani stood there for a couple of seconds, jaw slack and eyes bugged out, mud dripping from his muzzle and ears. The young prince continued to snicker at his friend, backing away very slowly, waiting for Jelani to react. The scruffy older cub blinked before breaking out into a wide smirk.

"You're_ so_ going to pay for that Tanabi!" Jelani said, chasing after Tanabi right after the brown cub took off in a run. It didn't take Jelani long to catch up with his friend due to his longer limbs.

"Not fair Jelani! I'm not as big as you are," Tanabi protested.

"Aww, poor little cub! Here, have a mud pie!" Jelani teased as he swiped some mud into Tanabi's eyes, making the young prince gasp in surprise.

Jelani was still laughing when a mud ball squarely hit the back of his head. Eyes widening, he turned to a mischievious Tanabi who was sticking his tongue out.

"Gotcha!" Tanabi said laughing at his friend who started growling, his gray eyes flashing with playfulness.

"You _do_ realize I'm goin to kill you now, don't you?"

"Bring it on!"

The two cubs then started their mini-war, shrieking with laughter...

_**O**o**o**O_

Ayira walked into the lioness' den, eyes still burning with tears in her eyes. _Stupid Tanabi, why did he have to say such mean things?_

She was only watching after him, just like any other big sister would do. Well, two minutes apart...but still. Ayira so wanted to make him pay for picking on her. But as much as she wanted to; part of her admitted that Tanabi was right. She didn't really have any friends of her own, because she was little miss priss, nobody wanted to hang out with a wet blanket like her. The last time she went to go play with the other cubs, they were trying to go out into the out lands a place stricktly forbidden for any cub, Outlander descent or not. Naturally, Ayira ran back and told their mothers, and the next time she went to play with them, they just walked away.

Ayira felt her eyes tearing up even more to the point where she couldn't see anymore. She rubbed angrily at her eyes, trying to wipe away the oncoming tears.

_Queens don't cry, _Ayira told herself stubbornly, but this only made her feel even worse.

"Princess Ayira? Are you okay?" a timid voice asked the princess, making Ayira's ears perk up.

"Go away!" Ayira demanded.

The figure didn't go away, but instead sat in front of her, tilting its head. As Ayira's vision cleared, she found out it was a small cub a month or so younger than her. The cub, had a deep red pelt that was almost the color of fresh blood, her muzzle, paws and stomach were a peach color. She had big, light hazel eyes that looked on sympathetically and had a small light pink pride lander nose. Ayira knew who it was, it was Kutu, the daughter of Waridi a lioness that recently joined the pride.

"I understand if you don't want to talk Princess," Kutu replied a bit sadly, tucking her ears behind her head.

"No! It's not your fault!" Ayira cried but then almost gasped at the voracity of her own voice. Trying to save what last strand of dignity she had left, Ayira sniffed hard, cleaning out her nose before speaking again. "What is it Kutu?"

Kutu smiled a bit, but lowered her gaze shyly. "Well...you see...princess...I saw...saw how your brother was treating you and I thought maybe I could cheer you up?" Kutu stuttered softly, so soft that Ayira had to strain herself to hear the red cub.

Ayira smiled sweetly. "That's nice of you Kutu."

She looked around for a second, green eyes darting all over the place for any sign of any other cubs.

"Where are your friends, Kutu? I bet they're looking for you," When Ayira said this, her stomach dropped a bit. _Friends. _

"They don't wanna play with me 'cause I'm so little," Kutu whispered as her ears lowered again, a stricken look on her face. "I'm new around here. They don't wanna play with someone who won't talk to them."

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?" Ayira replied reassuringly, shrugging her shoulders. "Wanna go play somewhere?"

Kutu's whole face lit up, "Really?" she exclaimed to which Ayira nodded. It wouldn't hurt to play with Kutu and besides maybe they could become friends.

"Of course! Let's go," Ayira said with a wink, her sadness completely gone. As they walked together, both of them wished for a friendship. And what a friendship that they would become.

_**O**o**o**O_

Jelani and Tanabi whooped and hollered loudly as they slid on the soggy grass, zooming on by. The cold feeling of the rain on his paws and on his body was exhilarating to Tanabi. Suddenly, velocity stopped being their friend and the two cubs fell face flat onto the muddy ground before them. Sitting back up with cold mud plastered all over their faces, Tanabi and Jelani continued giggling without stopping.

"Man! This is so much fun!" Jelani cried out as loud as he could. He then started coughing, "_Yuck_! I think I got some mud in my mouth!"

Tanabi grinned at his friend, trying not to laugh at him. All of the laughing and hell-raising they were doing was hurting his ribs. "I told you, Jelani. And you were all scared."

Jelani collapsed in to a heap in the mud, forelegs and hind legs spread out. He then started to move his limbs back and forth, side to side, as he was making a little cub angel in the mud.

"I have a right to be afraid. If my mom finds out about this, I'm done for," Jelani then gave Tanabi a critical look and said flatly," And if my mother finds me out here, I will _kill _you Tanabi."

Tanabi scoffed. "Pssh. Yeah right," he replied as he shook off the rain off of his body. "I thought you said you weren't afraid of your mother."

Jelani stood up, mud and gunk sliding off of him. With all of the dark mud coating his pelt, he looked more like a mud monster instead of a lion cub. The mud made his brilliant gray eyes stand out even more, but it made him look ridiculous.

"And I'm not. But there is a difference between having a healthy repsect for your mother and being afraid of her," He wrinkled up his nose in confusion. "...Whatever _that_ means. My dad says it a lot but he's more afraid of her than anything else."

"What're you talking about? Aunt Tani equals scary," Tanabi replied, "Relax Jelani, we're so far out here, nobody'll find us."

"Where are we anyways? I can't even see Pride Rock anymore."

Tanabi shrugged. After all of the traveling they had been doing during their playing, Tanabi had lost track but he didn't care, they'd find their way home some how. Curiously, he walked next to the edge of the small hill they had been standing on and looked out to the horizon. He could barely make out the scenery with all of the rain blurring his eye sight, but he could see the mist and most of the barren, twisted trees.

"I think we're near the outlands," Jelani said to his friend, whose eyes grew wide.

"No way! That's _so_ awesome!" Tanabi exclaimed as he sat beside Jelani, peering precariously on the edge to see. "I wonder what's out there?"

"You're not thinking about going out there, are you?"

"And why not? Your dad and my mom were outlanders. Heck, even our _grandma_ was queen of the outlands and they turned out okay! Don't tell me that _you _of all lions are turning into a scardey-cub..."

"I'm not," Jelani protested, squirming uncomfortably. "There's something really spooky about that place. I don't like it...and 'sides how would you get across that river?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that."

The two cubs looked down at the river below them. Usually it was just pretty deep, but now the dark waters were moving too fast for the eyes to see. They winced as a stick that was bobbing up and down, got snapped in half by the currents, pushing it into a sharp rock on the riverbed. It didn't help knowing that they were standing right above it.

"C'mon Jelani, let's go home. I'm pretty sure Ayira has already squealed on us," Tanabi said cheerfully, in order to clear up the bad vibes he was getting. He turned around to go.

"Yeah, who would wanna swim in _that_ river?" Jelani asked rhetorically as he stood up to follow Tanabi.

Suddenly, Jelani got his answer when the ground underneath them collapsed and the two cubs plummeted into the river below.

For the first time in Tanabi's life, time froze.

* * *

_Well, how was that for a chapter? I told you that Tanabi was gonna get his, never mess with your sister. Period. Will Tanabi and Jelani survive? Well all will be answered in Chapter Five: Water Slide part Two! Oh a shout out to **LarFang** for reviewing, this chapter definitly goes out to you! Now why don't the rest of you jokers go and take a cue from this guy and review!_

**Edit: 10/19/10**


	5. The Deadly River

**The Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

_**Cub Arc**_

**Chapter Four: The Deadly River**

* * *

He didn't remember when he and Jelani hit the river below them, how the impact of their fall almost drowned them instantly. He didn't even remember any of the terrified screams and roars as he was swiftly pulled away by the river's currents.

But Tanabi _did _remember waking up.

The first thing he saw was light brown water floating all around him, the shadows of the light above and the movement of the water made it almost too surreal for Tanabi to believe that he was still alive. He was flailing around frantically, forelegs and hind legs trying to grasp for anything above him; the way he was moving was too sluggish and slow almost as if time had stopped completely. As muted sound continued to pop in and out of his ears, Tanabi swore that it was like watching some other cub drowning. That it wasn't him.

Suddenly, reality came calling and a huge blast of sound hit him as his head finally popped up from the raging river. The brown cub exhaled so much in desperation to catch a sliver of air that he started to choke. He spluttered and coughed as the icy water invaded his nose and eyes, setting everything on fire.

"_Help_! _Help_!" Tanabi screamed in agony. His head hit the water again and popped back up, "_Heeeeeeeelp_!"

"TANABI! _Help me_!"

This blood curling cry struck a nerve and sent Tanabi into complete panic mode. _Oh god, Jelani!_ he thought as he caught Jelani, a good distance in front of him, splashing around frantically in the water. The golden cub held a such a wild look in his gray eyes that Tanabi thought that Jelani couldn't even see anymore, the older cub was a lost cause and Tanabi knew it. His breath was held hostage in his throat as he saw the golden cub go under but luckily popped back up and started to cough crazily.

The sight of his stronger friend panicking was unnerving. If he didn't help Jelani, then they were both dead. He tried to push himself as hard as he could, he didn't want to die. He _really_ didn't want to die here.

"I'm coming Jelani!" the prince shouted back over the current, struggling to keep up. The speed of the river hit his face at full force and blinded him. He let out a shocked roar when the water blinded him. Coughing spasmodically, heart thundering loudly in his ears, he screamed out for anyone, anybody, to help him. "_Somebody_! _HEEEEELP_! _DAD_! _Heeeelp us_!"

But the brown cub knew in his heart it was hopeless, no one was coming. They had went too far out and nobody could hear or even see them. Despair and fear, _real_ fear, took control of his body as thoughts of his death, his parents and lastly Ayira's hurt face flashed throughout his mind.

_**O**o**o**O_

Meanwhile, Ayira was laughing and playing with her new friend Kutu. She liked the younger cub a lot, she was quiet and respectful, so Ayira didn't have to worry about interrupting the adults who were still in the den. It was a nice break from those two trouble makers and Ayira had almost forgotten about them completely. If Tanabi had fallen into a deep ditch somewhere, she wouldn't care, no sir. He deserved everything horrible thing he was going to get.

"Tag, you're it again princess," the red furred Kutu said cheerfully, giggling.

Ayira giggled too, rolling her eyes. "Again? You're really good at this, Kutu."

Kutu blushed a little and tried to dismiss her, "Oh, no no no! I-I'm not at all, I'm really…really not good at this kind of stuff! My mommy plays it with me all the time, even back home."

"Really? Where did you come from anyways, it must have been far." the princess asked curiously, sitting on her haunches.

"T-The Air plateau. It's across the desert…I-I liked it a lot 'specially when I played with my cousins," Kutu stuttered shyly.

Ayira smiled at her, "Sounds really cool, wish I could see it. You're gonna like it here too, I know it. Everyone's really nice."

"I-I hope so. You're really nice and fun, princess so I think I'll like it better now."

The princess smiled brightly and her heart did a little jump of happiness. _She thinks I'm fun!_ Nobody had ever said that to her _ever_.

Before she could repay the compliment or even think about thanking Kutu for playing with her; a huge lightning bolt split the sky. The two cubs gasped out as they watched from the safety of their den as the veins of light came to the earth followed by the loud exploding sounds of thunder not far behind. They could hear the rain getting heavier as well as it hit the roof of Pride Rock.

"W-Wow…that's…that's scary," Kutu squeaked out terrified, hiding her head underneath her paws.

"Yeah," Ayira murmured. She instantly thought of Tanabi and Jelani, out there all by themselves in the storm and it made her squirm. She tried to push it out of her mind. The two stupid heads would be fine and their parents would beat the stupid out of them when they got home. There was nothing to worry about.

Suddenly, Ayira felt a sharp pain shoot through her head. A very loud and familiar voice started calling for her and it echoed throughout her ears.

_Somebody_! _HEEEEELP_! _DAD_! _Heeeelp us!_

_Tanabi…? What the…? _Ayira thought to herself, terrified and very confused. She didn't understand why she heard him or why in the world he could possibly be calling out for help. The princess tried to ignore it and thought it was just her imagination.

"Princess…don't you have a brother out there?" her friend spoke up with a worried frown, still trembling. "I-I hope he's okay."

"Me too, Kutu," Ayira said aloud, still trying to figure how she heard Tanabi's voice. Another harsh wave of pain hit her head as Tanabi's panicking voice got louder and repeated itself.

_HEEEEEEEELP! _

This sent alarm bells off in her heart. There was no way Ayira was going to ignore his voice the second time around. Somewhere out in the storm, Tanabi was in big trouble and he was calling out for someone to save him. Worriedly, Ayira snapped her attention to her friend.

"Kutu, I'm really sorry but I have to find my grandma," she told her apologetically, shifting uneasily. "I'm really worried about my brother; I think he's gotten in trouble."

"Oh, okay," the red cub replied a little surprised but giving a smile," I-I'll see you later!"

Ayira smiled back, reluctant to leave her new friend, "See you."

It didn't take long for the princess to find her grandma as she was still in her same spot from earlier this morning, taking a nap next to Vitani. Ayira frantically shook the lioness, not caring if her grandma was going to get mad at her for it.

Nala woke up from her catnap, yawning lazily, "Whoa, where's the fire Ayira…?"

"It's Tanabi and Jelani! They ran away from Pride Rock!"

The white lioness sat up puzzled, her lack of sleep now gone, "What do you mean they _ran away_? You're telling me they're out there in that storm?"

"Whass goin' on, Nala?" Vitani slurred.

"Tanabi and Jelani left Pride Rock."

"What?" the former outlander exclaimed, frowning. "Why didn't you tell anyone about this earlier, Ayira? How long have they been gone?"

Nala shook her head anxiously, standing up. "It doesn't matter how long they've been gone, what _matters_ is that we find them. Oh, I hope they didn't get hurt out there…"

"They're gonna be fine," Vitani reassured her. "We'll go together, that will help cover more ground." she turned to Ayira, "Ayira, I need you to stay here."

"But I want to come too!" Ayira announced.

"No, you're not." Vitani told her firmly, "Stay here and do what you're told. We can't risk you getting hurt out there."

"Please let me go with you aunt Vitani, I promise I won't get in your way," Ayira pleaded, her face set in determination. "Tanabi's my brother and if he's hurt, I don't know what I'd do. I just wanna help find him and see if he's okay."

Nala let out a soft laugh, "Looks like stubbornness runs in the family."

Vitani sighed and rolled her eyes, "Oh, alright. You can come, but stay behind me at all times."

"Thank you Aunt Vitani."

Nala, Vitani and Ayira ran out of the den and into the storm; the rain and wind attacking them in a barrage. It was chaotic but Ayira tried her hardest to stay by her aunt's side like she was told to do, only one thing was on her mind. Finding Tanabi and bring him home.

_Don't worry Tanabi, we're on our way. _Ayira thought anxiously as she ran. _Just hold on! _

_**~*O**o**o**O*~_

It felt like it was forever since Tanabi and Jelani had been in the river and each passing moment was as terrifying as the last. They were trying so hard to fight for their lives but the fact that their efforts and struggles had done nothing so far was absolutely frustrating to Tanabi. Each minute that drew closer made Tanabi want to give up fighting and just let the stupid river drown them.

Eventually, the brown cub made a breakthrough and managed to push himself over to where Jelani was. A surge of relief washed over his body and gave him a false sense of renewed security. If the two of them were together, maybe they could survive after all.

"Jelani!" he cried out relieved, his head bobbing up and down in the water. "It's okay Jelani! I'm here!"

His friend swiftly proved to him that he was dead wrong in believing it was okay, Jelani's face was still contorted with pure horror. The tawny cub frantically swam towards him with his claws outstretched and dug his claws into Tanabi's head and body, clinging on to him with all of his strength.

"Jelani!" Tanabi yelped in pain and complete disbelief. His friend was actually trying to _shove_ him back into the water! "JELANI! What are you…?"

The cub's terrified scream was cut off as he was dunked into the icy river. He could feel his friend's weight completely holding him down and he knew that Jelani had managed to wrestle his way onto his back. Tanabi struggled to get back up but it was no use, he wrestled and kicked out his limbs to try and throw Jelani off but he was stuck. Blackness started to consume his vision as he started to lose air.

Suddenly, a red hot feeling set off in his mind. He didn't want to die. He _wasn't_ going to die. He wanted to _fight_ Jelani. Tanabi started to wrestle with Jelani harder and eventually he shot his head up as high as he could to the surface, connecting solidly with Jelani's mussle. The tawny cub let out a cry of pain as Tanabi rose up again.

"Get _off _of me!" Tanabi roared as he gasped for breath. "_Get off of me Jelani_!"

He lashed out, shoving Jelani off of him. Jelani fought back in his panic crazed state, trying to grab a hold of Tanabi again but the prince only shoved harder with his claws. Eventually, Jelani grew tired of fighting Tanabi and he returned to incomprehensible screaming and splashing. Tanabi swam out of Jelani's reach, mind racing and eyes darting back and forth for _anything_ to grab a hold off.

_There's gotta be something! _Tanabi thought as he looked around, grateful for the moment of clarity that his adrenaline gave him. _If we only had a rock!_

Finally, the answer to his prayers caught his eyes. A huge log was lodged between a boulder on Tanabi's side, rapidly approaching them. He stirred himself into a good enough position to catch the log with his claws and by some miracle; the young prince was able to catch the rough bark with his claws. Pulling himself up with all of his strength, Tanabi climbed on to the slippery surface of the log.

At first, he felt as if he was going to slip off again but he managed to regain his balance and jump onto the boulder. Hyperventilating and panting, Tanabi directed his attention back to Jelani, he wasn't going to let his friend die. "C'mon Jelani! Swim over here!"

"_I can't_!" Jelani screamed pathetically.

"_Just try!_!" the brown cub exploded at Jelani, his heart racing against his chest. He was exhausted and extremely worried. If Jelani couldn't get to the other side, there was no way that Tanabi could go back out and get him.

The tawny cub started to make an effort, swimming toward Tanabi. An extremely happy feeling jumped into Tanabi's heart as he saw Jelani getting closer and closer to him. He was going to make it.

"It's okay Jelani! It's okay! You can make it!" Tanabi cheered on soothingly, his voice teetering on desperate and breaking as Jelani got closer to the log.

Jelani did exactly what Tanabi did and miraculously able to catch his claws on the log. Once Jelani got his upper body on the log, Tanabi didn't hesitate to yanking him with all of his might up on to the boulder. Panting, the two got off of the boulder to the other side to dry land.

Tanabi collapsed on the muddy ground, his exhausted body finally collapsed on him and turned into jell-o. He closed his eyes and took in hard, long breaths of air. A tired chuckle came in between the gasps of air, they made it! They were alive! He didn't know why it was so funny, maybe all of the river water had made him a crazy nutjob and maybe he should be more worried about the fact that Jelani was throwing up loudly beside him but he _didn't_ care! They were alive!

"Only you would find this funny…moron…" Jelani teased hoarsely, "How are you holding out…?"

"I'm fine, Jelani. How 'bout you?" Tanabi whispered, his throat hurt too much for anything more. He waited until Jelani finished coughing up more water to get another response.

"Never been better," Jelani rasped sarcastically, when he caught his breath again. "I never, _ever_, want to see water again."

Tanabi laughed, "Me neither. Man, I thought the river was bad, just wait til your mama sees us!"

Jelani grew very quiet for a moment and Tanabi frowned concerned, "What's up, Jelani? You hurtin' somewhere?"

The tawny cub lowered his ears and turned his head away, "Tanabi, I am _so_ sorry. I-I tried to pull you down back there. I didn't mean to!"

"It's okay."

"But I could of killed you! And it would of been all my fault!"

Tanabi shook his head at Jelani, smiling, "Jelani, calm down buddy! I know you _didn't_ mean any of it! We _both _were actin' crazy out there. You're still my best friend and that's all that matters."

Jelani returned his smile and the brown cub wanted so bad to give him a much needed hug right then. He wasn't going to hold it against Jelani, Tanabi knew that Jelani wouldn't have done that in any other situation so it didn't matter anymore. But that didn't mean Tanabi was going to forget the pictures of Jelani on top of him or anything that happened today.

Tanabi shook that thought out of his head. He didn't want to remember any of it. Boy; was he going to have nightmares tonight.

"Jelani, Tanabi!"

The two cubs lifted their heads to see Ayira running to their sides with Nala and Vitani. Tanabi, for once, was relived to know that his sister told on them. He struggled to sit up as Ayira walked up to him and threw her paws around him in a hug, squeezing the life out of him.

"Don't _ever_ scare me like that again, Tanabi!" Ayira told him, "I was really scared for you!"

Tanabi grinned, croaking, "Yeah, I can tell sis an' I love you too, but can you stop choking me? I kinda need to breathe here."

"I'm so glad you're safe," Nala said, giving him an affectionate lick but was obviously still worried. "We've been looking everywhere for you two…What happened? You're soaked."

Tanabi dropped his smile instantly and pulled away from Ayira. Jelani spoke up for him quietly, "Well, you see…we-we were playing near the outlands and we kinda…fell in the river…"

"You did _what_?" Vitani asked in disbelief. The tan lioness then frowned angrily," We've told you time and time again _not_ to go anywhere near the outlands! And now you know why! Just wait until your father finds out about this."

"It wasn't his fault!" Tanabi cried. He thought maybe if he was honest, his own punishment wouldn't be as bad as Jelani's. " I told him to come play with me outside!"

"Oh, trust me, I've already told your parents everything Tanabi," Nala replied back to him, sternly. "I think you need to worry more about yourself."

_Aww heck, that didn't work like I thought it, would. _Tanabi gulped. He could see the look on his dad's angry face already. His dad was _not_ going to be a happy lion when he comes back from his rounds and seeing his son looking like a deranged fluff ball once he got dried off. There was only on way for him to escape the wrath of his daddy and it was worth a try.

Tanabi grinned sheepishly at his grandma, "Is it too late for me to jump back into the river?"

"Ha ha," Nala replied dryly. She nudged the soggy brown cub, "C'mon, let's get you out of this rain, you must be freezing."

He nodded and tried to stand, his limbs were wobbly and shaking from exhaustion. Tanabi let out a short yawn; all he wanted to do was sleep. Nala gently plucked the tired cub up from the ground by the nape of his neck with her jaws and placed him onto her back. Tanabi shifted some to get into a more comfortable position, burying his face into his grandmother's soft fur. The next thing he knew, he was out like a light.

_**~*O**o**o**O*~_

When Tanabi woke up, he found that his whole body was numb and that his throat was on fire. He sat up and coughed harshly a few times, the nasty taste of icy water came back to his mouth and nose. Tanabi made a face, he better _not_ be sick after all he just went through.

"See? I told you to stay home," Ayira teased lightly. "But _no_, you just had to go play in the storm."

Tanabi sniffled and scowled at her, "Hey, be nice to the sick cub here. Have a heart."

The orange cub pointed at her chest, "Hey, I already have one so don't be silly," she giggled as Tanabi cut his eyes at her lame attempt at a joke. "Really, Tanabi, I was worried about you. I thought something bad was going to happen, like you getting hit by lightning."

He shuddered, "Yeah, it was crazy…thanks for telling Grandma and Aunt Vitani. I'm sorry Ayira."

Ayira shrugged and gave a tiny smile, "It's okay. I guess I'm sorry too, I was being a _little_ bossy."

"_A little_?"

"Yes, Tanabi. _A little_, that's what I said. Good boy."

Tanabi rolled his eyes playfully, "Whatever and just to think that I was about to say you ain't that bad of a sister. I must be sicker than I thought."

"Must be."

The twins giggled at each other. It felt good to Tanabi, knowing that they had made up...in a weird love hate kind of way. He stopped laughing, however, as he saw their parents run up to him with worry in their eyes. _Play dead, dummy! Go back to sleep!_ _Do something so you _don't_ have to talk to them! _was what the rational side of Tanabi screamed at him.

But instead he just sat there and mumbled under his breath, "_Oh no_..."

Kiara scooped Tanabi into her paws that instant she could, fussing quickly, "I was so worried about you! Lemme get a look at you, you look fine. Did you hurt yourself? You look a little feverish, are you feeling okay? Where did you get those scratches? Wait, you _already_ had those scratches...why didn't we take care of those scratches before...ohhhh, I heard they can get infected..."

"I'm _fine_, mom..." Tanabi interrupted, jumping out of her paws. "Sheesh, I only almost drowned."

Kovu, who was beside her, nodded, " It's okay hon, take a deep breath. Tanabi's alright."

"I know, it's just...I was so afraid," the honey furred lioness replied in relief. She then frowned at her son, "Just what were you _thinking_, Tanabi? You and Jelani could have died out there!"

Tanabi flinched at his mom's sudden harsh tone, "I-I dunno...we didn't mean to fall in the river, mom."

"That's not the point, Tanabi," Kovu told him sternly, "You know better than to sneak off on your own and you directly disobeyed us, again. How many times do we have to tell you to listen to us before you actually listen?"

"Only once..." the brown cub responded in a very meek voice, lowering his ears in shame. He knew he was going to get it now, the look on his dad's face said it all.

His dad sighed, "Son, we don't tell you these things to be mean, we just don't want you to get hurt. Do you understand?" Tanabi nodded numbly and the brown lion's face softened considerebly and he drew Tanabi closer to him with his paw, "Tanabi: you and Ayira mean the world to your mother and I. If something happened to you...I don't know what I'd do...you both are so precious to me."

Tanabi looked up at his dad, eyes shining with unshed tears. He didn't think of it like that, what he was doing hurt his daddy as well.

"Your father's right, we love you and Ayira _so_ much," Kiara told him, licking his cheek playfully, trying to make everything better. "We don't want to lose you. I know you don't mean to worry us and you're trying to have fun but everything you do has consequences. We just want you to remember that and listen to us."

"Okay, mom."

Kovu nuzzled his small cub, grinning, "That's all we want, little guy. It's not that hard. Now, to make sure that you don't wind up doing this again, we got a _special_ punishment for you this time."

"I know...I know...I'm grounded again, ain't I?"

"Oh, you're grounded alright," Kiara told him with a hint of amusement in her voice. "But on top of that, we got you a cubsitter. I know you and Zazu will become such great friends next week."

Tanabi's jaw fell and he stared at his parents like they had sprouted three more heads. _This_ was their idea of a _punishment_? Forcing him to spend a whole week trapped in the den with that snobby talkactive bird? No. That wasn't right, maybe he heard it all wrong.

"..._What_?" he asked dumbstruck.

"You're stuck with Zazu for a week, smartness," Ayira told him dryly.

The brown cub just sat there for a few awkward moments. This was _not_ happening to him.


	6. Differences and Acceptance

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones **

**Change Arc**

Chapter Six: Differences and Acceptance

* * *

It was autumn at Pride Rock, the land had become dry and the grasslands became seas of golden straw spreading throughout the plains. A pleasant cool breeze wafted through the air while the great sky above them had turned a beautiful gray color. With this change going on, everything had become quieter around Pride Rock, not an uncomfortable quiet though but a relaxed one.

Kovu sat on the edge of Pride Rock, deep in thought. His whole body was tense yet unmoving, his eyes closed. Kovu often sat on this powerful spot to relax; he could almost feel the spirits of the past comforting him. He was never one for believing in the stories of the kings of the past, but he believed there must have been someone or something watching out for him. It was one of those days where he needed their guidance and strength to make it through the day; even though it was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

It was the second year anniversary of the union of the pride. The young king never imagined in his wildest dreams that they would come this far and thinking back on everything he had gained, brought a swell of happiness to his chest. Though Kovu's happiness held a heavy price in his heart, his mother Zira's suicide was a catalyst in making his dream come true, followed close by the death of his older brother Nuka's death a day earlier. The young king never quite found the time to mourn for his mother or found the closure he was looking for because he was too busy trying to keep the peace between the newly formed pride. Kovu didn't have any semblance of alone time except for these rare moments and even then, it was hard to figure out his difficult feelings towards his mother.

Was he supposed to hate her? Many of the former outlanders had, they tried their hardest to sweep her death out of their minds. No one talked about her. If they did, it would be in hushed, disgusted tones as if she was some monster. Kovu was unable to forget her and he couldn't deny that she had done horrible things, sometimes it was hard to fight the urge to defend his mother's name. Zira deserved to be remembered as any other lion, if only for that much.

_Look at me, now. I'm the king of the pride lands just as you planned, mother. _Kovu thought sighing, looking up at the vast sky. _Are you alright, wherever you are? I wish you were here to see this...I wish you had just seen what the others had...why did it have to be so hard to let go of your hatred? _

"Don't think too hard Kovu or your brain will explode," quipped a familiar voice.

Kovu opened his eyes and turned around. It was Vitani, self-confident and sarcastic as usual. Kovu watched his sister as she walked towards him, there was a certain glow in those piercing blue eyes that wasn't there before. Vitani sat down next to her brother with a lopsided grin on her mussle. He noticed a bulge near her stomach in surprise but didn't think of asking anything of it.

"What's with the long face, sunshine? Don'tcha know today is supposed to be a fun, _happy _day!" The tawny lioness said sarcastically in exaggerated perky tones before frowning, "No really, what's wrong with you? It's not like you to look so depressed."

Kovu shifted uneasily, not meeting Vitani's eyes. He didn't know how Vitani was going to react.

"It's mom."

Vitani mouthed a silent _oh_, understanding perfectly what those two words meant.

"Why are you thinking about her?" she asked softly.

"I don't know. I thought that I had gotten over her death, but today continues to drag memories up for me," Kovu said with a sigh, his ears lowering.

Vitani opened her mouth to say something but Kovu continued, "We...well, _I_, never got closure or anything after she died. There were so many things I never got to say to her and I feel so guilty, you know?" he licked at his dry mouth, thoughtfully," It doesn't help that everyone acts like mom ever existed in the first place."

"It's a touchy subject, Kovu."

Kovu narrowed his green eyes at her.

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" Kovu snapped at Vitani. The tawny lioness looked at him in shock, "Are you saying that it's okay to forget about her?"

"No, I'm not saying that at all. It's just not everybody remembers her as the loving saint that you do," Vitani retorted, clearly taken aback from her brother's attitude. "And by the way, who exactly do _you_ think you're talking to?"

The king snorted in annoyance, "_I_ think I'm talking to the daughter of the lioness who died today."

"Kovu, if you want to mourn that crazy lioness you call a mom, go right ahead. I've already made peace with her dying," Vitani growled at him, her voice rising. "We should just push this all aside and move on with our lives."

The dark furred lion shook his head at her incredulously; he couldn't believe what she was saying, "She was our _mother_, Vitani! You can't just forget about her and pretend she never existed."

"Watch me," she told him darkly and stubbornly. "It's better for everyone if she was just out of our fur for once."

"Better for who?" Kovu countered, "I seem to remember how you used to idolize the ground she walked on. You would do anything for our mother, you used to stay up every night just waiting for her to come home and you were always the first to be by her side. Why would you love her so much if she was _so_ horrible towards you? What happened to that, Vitani?"

His sister got into his face and snarled, "She threatened to _kill_ me, Kovu! Or do you not remember that little fact? How about that permanent scar she gave you, huh? What mother would do that to their own cub? I can't even stand to yell at Jelani without my heart breaking, much less _hurting _him!" She shook her head, still growling, "You're not going to change my mind on that monster of a lioness. Zira didn't give a damn about us, she_ never_ did."

Kovu snarled back at her. While he agreed with most of what she said, not all of it was true. Someone had to defend his mother, "Take that back, Vitani. I'm warning you."

"What're you gonna do if I don't, _your majesty_? Chuck me off of Pride Rock?" Vitani spat mockingly.

"No." the dark lion retorted, not missing a beat. He then sighed heavily; this conversation was not going where he thought it would in his mind.

The two siblings sat away from each other, still simmering in their anger. After another awkward moment of silence, Kovu started up again, more calmly,"… Vitani, I'm not asking you to worship her again. I know she's done way too much damage to the both of us and she doesn't deserve to be forgiven…but please, I'm begging you…at least, claim her as a mother. We're all she had left and nobody else will, doesn't she deserve to be remembered somehow?"

"So you keep saying. A _mother_ doesn't physically attack her cubs; she doesn't just give conditional love just whenever she feels like it. A _mother_ doesn't put some dead lion up on some damn pedestal and make us fight for her love. She doesn't deserve that title. I can forgive her, yeah, because it frees that bitch from my mind. But she's _not_ my mom."

Kovu gave Vitani a withering, hurt look but she didn't meet his eyes. _She didn't mean that, she couldn't have possibly meant that. _Finally, he replied softly, "…If that's how you really feel, Vitani. Then you're more like your mother than you ever know."

Vitani's blue eyes flashed angrily and she opened her mouth to give Kovu the tongue lashing of his life. If he thought that he was getting away with talking to her like that, he had another thing coming. Luckily for their sakes, Otien and Kiara had arrived on the scene.

"Kovu, there you are!" Kiara exclaimed happily as she ran up to her mate and nuzzled him, oblivious to the thick tension surrounding the two siblings. "Where have you been? Daddy and I were looking for you everywhere. C'mon, we have to get finish our rounds before tonight's big party!"

When Kovu didn't say anything, Kiara drew away from him and frowned up at him worriedly, "Kovu…? Is everything alright…?

The king snapped out of his sadness, there was no need to make his mate worry. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," Kovu said apologetically, his countenance already softening and his mouth forming into a small smile. "Let's go, it'll be better than hanging around here."

There was a subtle harsh note in Kovu's voice that Vitani picked up. The brown lion started to walk off without Kiara, without even looking at Vitani or acknowledging his brother-in law.

"What's wrong with him?" Kiara asked worriedly. The former outlander shrugged.

"Oh, he's just being overly emotional 'cause _mother _died," Vitani said rolling her blue eyes in disgust before scoffing. "He acts like her death has only affected him. What a cub."

Kiara's brow furrowed in sadness. She had forgiven herself months ago for her own guilt trip over Zira's death; though sometimes the questions of what if and anger at herself still haunted her. She had never thought to ask Kovu about how he felt about Zira's death; he always seemed to avoid it whenever she tried to bring it up. Now that Kovu was starting to have a reaction, Kiara couldn't help but grow concerned.

"Maybe I should go talk to him?" Kiara suggested.

"Nah. Let him go pout. I'm not going to let it ruin my day and you shouldn't let it ruin yours."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"Don't worry Kiara, he'll get over it."

Kiara smiled at Vitani, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes like usual. "Okay. I'll see you later you guys."

The queen glanced at Vitani and Otien one more time before going after her mate.

Vitani's face fell and she inwardly sighed. She was worried about Kovu, despite her harsh words. The lion was too forgiving for his own good. The tawny lioness knew all too well how hard it was to deal with the conflicting feelings of loving their mother and hating her at the same time. She looked up to her mother like some type of deity for almost all of her life but the more Vitani thought on her mother, the more she started to see the darkness in the lioness' heart.

It was like her mother couldn't love, she could _obsess_ over someone but there was nothing in her that could allow her to reach out and actually unconditionally love someone. Because of her mother, Vitani and Kovu had to pick up the pieces and deal with their own fears of not loving their families and turning out just liker her.

Even with knowing all of that however, Vitani couldn't forget the good times that had together and that was the part that hurt the most.

In her own, twisted, insane way, their mother did try to love them and no matter how much disgust it brought Vitani, it didn't erase her love for her mother nor did it bring her any peace.

Stubbornly, Vitani shook away the sadness she was starting to feel, she wasn't going to surrender herself to such thoughts. She felt a gentle lick on her ear and was pulled into a warm embrace.

"I love it when you are confident," Otien murmured smoothly into his mate's neck as Vitani chuckled.

"You think you're slick don't you?" Vitani replied warmly, staring into her mate's eyes.

Otien was a slender sandy colored lion with an orange colored mane, his muzzle and stomach, his paws were a rich dark cream color. His intense eyes were the darkest shade of gray Vitani had ever seen on a lion and gave him a sort of dangerous appeal to him. His ears were bitten into giving him a rebel look.

But he was nothing like what he looked like; Otien was a sweet almost shy rogue that had chanced on meeting the pride during the first couple of months during the reunion. At first, he acted like a hot shot when he was around Vitani, trying to woo her with his prowess but Vitani swiftly showed him how much of a lion he really was. Impressed with Vitani's honest attitude, Otien had changed after that. Vitani remembered laughing at his methods of serenading her, like his attempt at cheezy poetry but now he had made her quite the happy lioness. Who've known that they would last this long and with a _cub_? Vitani sure didn't.

"Hey I try," Otien said with a shrug as he smiled warmly at his mate. Vitani rubbed her head up under his chin, purring contently. "How is our little guy?"

Vitani smirked at Otien,"What makes you think our unborn daughter is a guy_?" _

"Because _he_ comes from _me_."

Vitani rolled her eyes, "Don't kid yourself. You got lucky once, but don't let that go to your head."

"Okay, okay. Whatever you say your majesty," Otien replied back as he drew Vitani closer to him."I hope _she_ will be as beautiful and as strong as her mother."

Vitani smiled as she took in her mate's scent. She was in heaven.

OooO

Meanwhile in the plains, two mischievous cubs were hiding in the tall grass.

Tanabi crouched low. His steps were silent but deadly, every movement methodical and careful. Any one little misstep could possibly tip off his prey and he couldn't afford that to happen. He was a professional hunter; one that always caught his prey. He scanned the surrounding area, looking for any sort of sudden movement. Suddenly, something moved in the tall grasses in front of him and a smirk formed on his mussle.

_Gotcha! _

Tanabi sprung into action, his claws extended and he ran at full speed to his opponent roaring. His opponent, however, was faster than he was and within a couple of dodges rammed Tanabi hard in the ribs. The wind was knocked out of him as his opponent straddled him triumphantly.

"Pinned 'ya!" Jelani exclaimed, laughing heartily at Tanabi, who was looking from up under him with disgust.

"Get offa me, ya big oaf!" Tanabi cried out as he shoved Jelani off of him.

"Just admit it Tanabi, I got skills," Jelani said proudly as he examined his claws. "You might as well give it up already."

"Yeah right," Tanabi scoffed. "You may be able to blend in with the grass, but I have a better mane than you'll ever have."

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh! I'm younger than you and I already have a full mane coming in."

"Oh yeah? Well, you're just a mutant!"

"That's better than being maneless."

"Will you two just _shut up _already?" Ayira cried out from her spot on a rock that she and Kutu had been sitting on. "Both of you just have peach fuzz and that is something that _nobody _should be proud about."

"Aww, who asked for your opinion anyways, Ayira?" Tanabi retorted with a smirk as he combed a paw through the tuft on his head. "Are you jealous because our fur is more beautiful than yours?"

To Ayira's credit, both Tanabi and Jelani were in their beginning phases of growing in their manes. Tanabi's had slowly stared growing on his back and his tuft had gotten longer as well. For some reason his new tiny bangs favored the left side of his face. Jelani had his mane growing in on his cheeks and around his ears looking like spikes. His tuft had started to defy gravity with its spikes pointing every which way. It didn't matter though, both of them looked like they had fought a vacuum and lost very badly.

"Whatever. When are you and Jelani going to do something fun for once? Kutu and I are getting tired of watching you play hunters." Ayira replied with a false yawn as she sat up.

"We're not here for your entertainment," Jelani shot back."Why don't you go help the other lionesses with the hunting?"

Ayira wrinkled her nose up.

"Because they got rid of us too remember?" Ayira deadpanned. Jelani rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed.

"What's so great about some dinner?" Tanabi scoffed as he flicked a tiny pebble with his paw.

"Unbelievable! Do you have rocks for brains?"Ayira cried out as Tanabi raised an eyebrow."Tonight's the second anniversary of the family coming together after Uncle's Scar's reign, duh! It represents unity, community spirit and most of all a hope for the future!" Ayira recited proudly, like she had this memorized by heart.

"And as the future Queen, it is _my_ duty to keep you two stupid heads out of trouble."

"Why don't we go to the water hole?" interrupted the quiet Kutu shyly. Tanabi and Jelani gasped.

"Are you kiddin' me? The last time we got close to water we almost drowned!" Tanabi exclaimed shuddering. "I still have nightmares _thinkin' _about it!"

Kutu lowered her ears."I'm sorry!" she said hastily. Ayira put a paw on her friend's shoulder.

"Kutu, don't mind those two losers," Ayira reassured Kutu confidently, "We should go visit Masozi, I'm pretty sure he'd want somebody to play with."

"Who is Masozi? An imaginary slave of yours, Queen Ayira?" Jelani asked, bowing jokingly as he did so.

"Mister Masozi is a rhinoceros that plays with me and Princess Ayira," Kutu replied cheerfully.

"Oh, come on Ayira! Can't you be normal for once?" Tanabi groaned.

"Like you?" Ayira countered, grinning. Tanabi, rolled his reddish-brown eyes in annoyance. "C'mon, let's go find him."

OooO

There was no denying that Masozi was a rhinoceros just like Ayira had said, much to Tanabi's embarrassment. He was a complete freak. Like every other weird_ friend_ Ayira ever had in her life. Once, Ayira had actually made friends with a chameleon she named Spike and she talked about how funny her new friend was. When Ayira actually decided to introduce her brother to the chameleon, Tanabi thought it was pretty cool until he realized that it couldn't talk. _At all_.

Ayira had sat there talking to herself the whole time while Tanabi watched his sister in horror. This trend continued with other objects stranger than the rest, like talking to different types of rocks or other imaginary cubs. He had hoped since she had finally made a friend of her own species in Kutu, Ayira would hopefully turn somewhat normal. No such luck and Ayira actually wound up converting Kutu over to her craziness.

Her friend Masozi had easily taken the cake for one of the weirdest things Tanabi had ever seen in his life.

Masozi was a cross-eyed full grown rhinoceros which made things even worse by the fact that he was missing a left ear. His awkward figure walked around drunkenly on four legs that wobbled back and forth like a new born ostrich. When the four cubs came towards him, he didn't register that they were even there.

"Good morning, Masozi!" Ayira said cheerfully with a smile on her face. His right ear swiveled around slightly and he turned to the left.

"Huh?" he exclaimed in a weird awkward voice that sounded very slow. Jelani stifled a giggle in his throat and Ayira slapped him on the foreleg.

"I said, GOOD MORNING MASOZI!" Ayira said raising her voice a couple of decibels and the rhinoceros turned around with a smile on his face.

"Friend Ayira!" he cried out excitedly as he noticed Ayira behind him grinning. He then caught a glance at Kutu, who smiled gently at the rhinoceros as well. "Friend Kutu! You come to see Masozi?"

"Yes, Masozi we came to see you," Ayira replied in a friendly tone of voice as she ran up to her friend and rubbed against him purring, "This is my brother Tanabi and my cousin Jelani."

"Talking to strangers is dangerous, princess. And you do it so easily too," Jelani retorted. "You're setting such a great example here for your lowly subjects."

"The only lowly subject here is _you_," Ayira said rolling her eyes. "Just say hi already."

"Tanabi and Jelani?" Masozi asked in a squeak, looking down at the two male cubs with his huge lazy brown eyes, his right one moving slightly to the left while the other one was staying in place. Tanabi couldn't tell if he was trying to focus on them or if he was trying to creep them out. The latter was winning as the brown cub gulped away a huge knot in his throat. Masozi's huge size wasn't helping. "Are Masozi's friends too?"

"Yes, they are Masozi's friends too," Ayira nodded to Masozi, who smiled brightly at Tanabi and Jelani with his crazy looking mouth. Tanabi laughed nervously and stepped away from the huge rhinoceros.

"Yeah…right…friends. Ha," Tanabi replied unsure of himself, glancing at Jelani who was actually shaking. He lowered his eyes to the ground for a second before looking up. Who knew that it would be this hard to talk to a rhino? "So err...Masozi? Do you know how to play hide n' go seek?"

"What?" Masozi asked loudly.

"He said, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY HIDE N' GO SEEK!" Jelani yelled as loud and slowly as he could to the big rhino. The rhino's eyes lit up.

"Masozi knows! Masozi plays hide n' go seek with friends! Can Masozi play?" Masozi asked excitedly.

"Yeah, but you're counting," Tanabi replied, feeling a bit better about the situation.

"Kutu and I are on Masozi's team!" Ayira announced.

"C'mon Mister Masozi. This way," Kutu replied gently as she nudged Masozi into the middle of the grassland with Ayira following them. Tanabi and Jelani nodded at each other and ran into the tall grasses.

"Masozi can see you!" Masozi cried out cheerfully, much to the ire of the male cubs.

"No, you are supposed to count!" Tanabi shouted at Masozi.

"What?"

"You are _supposed_ to count!"

"What?"

"YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO COUNT!"

"What?"

Tanabi slapped his forehead with his paw and dragged it down his face. "Ayira! _Help him out please!" _

Ayira started chuckling. "Whatever you say little brother!" she then turned Masozi around and started whispering. After a loud "OH! Masozi understands," the three of them started counting.

"1...2...3...4...5!"

Tanabi crouched behind a tree with Jelani on his other side, his breathing quiet.

"There's _no way_ that big rhino can find us!" Tanabi whispered to Jelani cockily.

"6...7...8...9...10! Ready or not here we come!"

"Heh. He's probably too stupid!" Jelani whispered back, laughing softly. Tanabi smirked as he watched his sister and Kutu started looking around in the tall grasses. He couldn't see Masozi however.

"MASOZI FOUND YOU!" Mazosi shouted loudly from behind the two cubs making Tanabi jump sky high in fright. When he landed, his fur was standing on end and Masozi was snort-laughing at him. "Did Masozi scare you Friend Tanabi?"

"Yeah, you did," Tanabi said with a sigh, a smile forming on his face. "Now it is you who should be scared Masozi!"

Tanabi walked and sat down in the exact spot, closing his eyes. "1...2...3...4...5," he started slowly and loudly so that Masozi and the others could hear him well enough. "6...7...8...9...10! Ready or not, here I come!"

His eyes flashed open and he started to look around, until he spotted Masozi trying to hide behind in the grass just like Jelani and Tanabi had done. Tanabi smiled and shook his head.

"I found you Masozi!" Tanabi said cheerfully.

"Oh! You scared Masozi!" Masozi replied back, laughing again. Tanabi couldn't help but smile, Masozi's childlike nature was contagious.

"C'mon, Masozi. Let's go find the others."

And like that, the cubs and Masozi played hide n' go seek throughout the morning and most of the afternoon. To Tanabi, it was like he had known Masozi forever and that Masozi was just like him, not a rhino or that he was different. When the sky turned to dusk; the three cubs laid out on the ground, breathless and giddy.

"Masozi had fun! Was fun for friends?" Masozi asked grinning.

"It was _very_ fun, Masozi. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Ayira as she curled up closer to her friend, she then gave Tanabi a knowing look. "See I told you Masozi was cool and you didn't believe me."

"Can you blame me?" Tanabi asked. "Most of your friends are really weird. And when I mean really weird, I mean _freaky_ weird. So where'd you and Kutu meet Masozi anyways?"

Ayira looked thoughtful for a minute, "Hmmm. We met him here a while ago, he saw us playing like this before and he asked if we could join us."

"We said yes and Mister Masozi had been our friend ever since," Kutu said giggling as Masozi nudged her affectionately. "Isn't that right Masozi?"

"Yes!" Masozi said as everyone else started laughing lightly.

"So Masozi, _this_ is where you have been. We've been _so _worried about you," said a deep dry voice.

Out of nowhere, two cheetahs approached the group. Their matching gait was a slow, almost deliberately sneaky.

"Friend Bujune! Friend Chakide! Masozi is so happy to see you!" Masozi cried out in happiness as he stood up. "Masozi looked for friends everywhere but Masozi couldn't find friends anywhere."

The two cheetahs brothers, known as Bujune and Chakide, gave matching smirks. Bujune was very skinny almost skeletal with a dusty pelt, his left eye had a scar going through it. His brother Chakide was pretty buff but had many scars on his sides and up and down on his legs.

"I'm sorry Masozi, but we had to go catch us some food," Bujune replied, grinning malevolently at Tanabi and his friends. The two cheetahs started circling them. "Ah, I see you made _some_ new friends."

Tanabi narrowed his eyes at the tone of Bujune's voice; he didn't like how they were acting. Something was off about them but he couldn't quite put his paw on it.

"Yes Masozi's friends! They are Tanabi, Ayira, Kutu and Jelani. Friends played with Masozi!" Masozi said cheerfully, completely oblivious to the dark atmosphere that was starting to form.

Something flickered in the cheetahs' eyes as he said this and this deepened their smirks.

"Ah! So they are the brats of Queen Kiara," Chakide spat as they continued to circle them."I would bow, but the _stench _of Outlander is too overwhelming." he said this carefully and politely, spewing venom behind each word.

"Excuse me?" Tanabi demanded, feeling his blood start to boil.

He knew what was going on; these cheetahs were being hateful because of their so-called half blood. Not every animal in the Pride lands agreed with mixing of the prides, especially because of the reputation of the outlanders and their former leaders Scar and Zira. There was a huge uprising before he was born to keep the pride separated but Simba swiftly put as stop to it, though not everybody was willing to accept his word as final. Tanabi had heard angry whispers from the other animals before about him and his sister on occasion, but his mother reassured him they were just letting the past cloud their judgment. This was the first time anyone was the to say something to his face and mean it, however.

"You heard him," Bujune sneered as he growled at the cubs making Kutu flinch and hide behind Ayira, but Tanabi didn't blink. "And I suggest that you keep your sarcastic remarks to yourself. It would be unfortunate that something _bad_ happened to you and nobody knew about it."

Chakide laughed as he licked his lips like he was getting ready to eat a seven-course meal. Tanabi snarled.

"You can't talk to us that way," Ayira snapped at them, "Do you know who I am? I'm the future Queen of the Pride Lands."

"Ha! Didja hear that Bujune? She said that she is the _future_ Queen!" Chakide said to Bujune as they both laughed mockingly. "I'd rather die than have you as Queen, you don't deserve the throne. Who knows how bad you'd mess up? All outlanders are pieces of filth that shouldn't even be allowed to walk the earth. And _you_ of all lions with your mixed blood, thinks that you deserve to rule? What a joke!"

"And you think that you are perfect? You guys are filth because you are pickin' on a couple of cubs like us," Tanabi cut across with a sardonic tone in his voice. "That shows how really _great _you are!"

The two cheetahs snarled angrily at the young cub who growled right back, his fur standing on end. He wasn't going to let them slander his heritage around in the dirt and Jelani took a step forward, a murderous look in his gray eyes. A loud and mighty roar shattered the air, destroying the warring sides' concentration as they turned around. Kiara and Kovu were running towards them.

"Tanabi, take the others and get out of here!" Kovu snarled as he came face to face with the two cheetahs. The clueless cubs looked up at the two monarchs, a bit scared and worried.

"But Dad, what about you an' mom?"

"Just do what your dad says," Kiara said sharply at Tanabi before giving him a calm look."Don't worry, we'll handle this."

Tanabi nodded, feeling slightly numb. Giving his parents one last look, he made a signal for the others to follow him. They didn't hesitate to run out of there.

"Good bye friends!" Masozi cried out happily.

"_How dare you_!" Kovu roared angrily. Masozi flinched in fright, his eyes going in the right direction for the first time. "How many times have we told you _not _to mess with the lionesses in our pride? And now after we gave you a clear warning, you have the _audacity_ to threaten our cubs?"

"Your cubs were in our territory first!" Bujune snapped back at the large lion, unperturbed by his size. "You should thank us, we were only trying to get rid of those dirty little half breeds."

"Dirty half breeds?" Kiara gasped incredulously."They are your future rulers! How dare you talk about them like that?"

"I'm disappointed with you, Queen Kiara," Chakide started giving her a disgusted look, "You were such a _pure _queen and to mate with the offspring of such mangy outlanders. You are the worst than rest of them." He then spat near Kovu's paw. "Utterly disgusting."

Kovu roared again, this time it was a final warning. "Get out of my sight now! If I ever see you two anywhere within my sight again, you are automatically banished from the Pride Lands!"

Bujune started laughing. "That's rich coming from you! But I guess you could understand, huh outlander? Too bad your mother didn't get the picture. At least she finally wised up and did the pride lands some good, killing herself like that. Why don't you follow mommy's example?"

Kovu's green eyes flashed with rage and he lunged at Bujune with murderous intent. Kiara's paw got to Bujune first. The impact of Kiara's paw connecting with his face made Bujune fly to the ground in pain, hitting his head on a rock with an audible crack.

"Right_,"_ Kiara said coldly, glaring angrily at the two cheetahs. Chakide helped Bujune get up; three slash marks covered Bujune's right cheek. Kovu gasped, Kiara never hit anyone. "You need to leave **now."**

"Why did you hit my friend?" Masozi cried out in anger as he stood up, but Bujune held him back.

"No Masozi, it's over now. There's no use in talking to scum like them," Bujune snarled as they started to leave.

It wouldn't be the last time the King and Queen would see Bujune and Chakide. The next time they did, there would be blood spilled.

* * *

_So how was that? This chapter took soooooooo long to write, actually I went through two alternate chapters before I got to this one. Since it is the anneversary of The Reunion, you didn't think that things would be all happy and fun right? I imagine that there were still some wounds to heal within and outside of the pride and of coarse emotions are running high. I'm sorry that there wasn't as much Tanabi and Ayira in this chapter, but this next chapter will be light hearted and happy. It will make all of this bad stuff go all away. Oh and the return of Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu of course! A big thank you to **HiddenMusic **and **Prince of Pride **for reviewing!_

_Names:_

_Otien: Born at night _

_Masozi: Tears_

_Bujune: Sorrow_

_Chakide: Weasel_

**Edit: 10/20/10**


	7. Where They Belong

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

**Change Arc**

Chapter Seven: Where They Belong _

* * *

_

That night Tanabi and the others returned to the Pride Rock soberly quiet. Nobody knew what to say or do out of shock caused by the cheetahs. Tanabi and Ayira shared worried glances through the whole walk back, wondering how their parents were handling the disrespectful felines while Jelani kept his head low, stewing in his leftover anger.

"Princess…maybe you should wait with me and my mom," Kutu suggested softly. The red cub nervously put a paw on her friend's shoulder,"She'd be happy to have you…and…and we could help ."

"Thanks Kutu, but I think I'd wanna stay here," Ayira gave her friend a half hearted smile, "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Oh...oh..okay princess..I hope you feel better."

The siblings watched as their friends walked off back home, not saying a word. Ayira knew that both Jelani and Kutu wanted to stay behind and cheer them up, but they didn't know what or how to.

"They should be here by now…" Tanabi said, frowning.

The brown cub continued to look out into the distance, worriedly. He needed to know about what was going on and he wanted to know _now_. Tanabi had never seen his dad so mad before and his parents wanted everyone out of the way so quickly; it was driving him crazy that their reactions were so extreme.

_I don't get it; why don't they like us...what did we ever do to them? _The young prince wondered, remembering back to the cheetahs.

Finally, Kovu and Kiara appeared. They were walking along the dirt pathway that led to Pride Rock with matching troubled looks on their faces, seemingly lost in their own world.

"Mom! Dad!" Tanabi and Ayira cried out.

The two siblings bounded hastily to their parents, rubbing her heads against their forelegs and clinging to the monarchs like they were never going to see them again.

"What took you so long?"

"Are you hurt? We've been waiting for you forever!"

"Didja kick those cheetahs butts, Dad? Didja?"

"Hey, hey! One at a time kids," Kovu replied softly, amused. He gently nuzzled the two in a loving manner. "You guys weren't _worried_ about us, were you?"

"Of course we were, Dad! You didn't come back until dark," Ayira retorted quickly, hurt. She buried herself into his mane, "I thought you were never coming home."

"Aw, don't be silly Ayira. Nobody messes with me and your dad," Kiara reassured her, licking the small princess. "We just wanted to make sure that those cheetahs didn't bully our cubs anymore. That's all."

"Good. I hate those damn cheetahs anyways," Tanabi muttered.

Kovu looked down at Tanabi as he caught what he said, shocked at his son's words. "Young lion, what have I told you repeatedly about cursing? You are never to say those two words, _ever_, do you hear me?"

The brown cub wrinkled his nose up stubbornly at his dad, frowning more out of anger. He couldn't believe his own father was actually _defending_ them. "But it's true Dad! Why should I say that I like them when they hate us?"

"Tanabi, saying that you hate somebody is almost like saying that you wish them dead," his mother said gently, giving Kovu a concerned look as she did so. Kiara tried to pull Tanabi into a hug "Baby, you don't ever want to hate someone. It's not worth it."

"You heard what they said! I'm jus' a dirty mixed outlander. I'm filth, right?" Tanabi burst out, pulling away from Kiara. "They mean it an' I mean it too. They can go rot dead in a bush somewhere. I _don't_ care!"

His parents looked at Tanabi with sadness and pity. Kovu was pained that here his young cubs were suffering the same prejudice he did while he was in the pridelands.

What was heartbreaking to him, however,was that while he was trained at to learn to have such negative thoughts because of the brainwashing his mother did on him, Tanabi was already becoming well aware of the situation and forming his own feelings of anger. The King wanted nothing more but to hug his son and banish the feeling of worthless away from him.

"It hurts, doesn't it." Kovu said, very softly.

Tanabi didn't say anything at first but lowered his ears reflexively against his skull. He then turned to his mom and pulled her foreleg around him and started to let out a few whimpers which eventually turned into tears. He looked up at Kiara with wide, shiny eyes.

"It's not fair, me, Jelani an Ayira didn't do nothin' to them. Why don't they like us Mom?"

"They're just scared, baby," Kiara told him sadly, wrapping her forelegs around him tightly. She felt Tanabi lay his head on to her chest and she gently started to nuzzle him.

"Cubs, listen to me," Kovu spoke in a serious tone of voice. "I want you to know that none of what they said to you is your fault. Don't believe what they said to you about being worse than nothing, _all _of you have every right to be here in this kingdom as they do."

"Then why are they being so mean if there's nothing wrong?" Ayira asked sadly. "I mean...nobody just goes out and says mean stuff just to be, right? The cheetahs keep saying that I'm going to screw up but I don't even know what they were talking about."

"That was our fault, Ayira…" Kovu lowered his head and sighed, "Your mother and I knew one day we would have to talk to you. We wanted to wait until the both of you were old enough to understand…it's just…"

He stopped. He and Kiara had been over it a hundred times; but now…how was he supposed to explain several generations of hatred to his own cubs? The brown lion let out another painful sigh, it wasn't right…they tried _so_ hard to keep them sheltered from the nasty whispers of the other animals. Why did their cubs have to go through with this?

"Daddy?" his daughter's concerned voice broke through to him. Ayira looked up at him, sadness and worry reflecting in her eyes as she hung on to each of his words. Kovu then realized that he was making her more unsettled and that he to hold strong for her…and in that, make things right for her and Tanabi again.

"...It's just, before you and Tanabi were born; there were a lot of bad things that happened in the pride lands. You remember the story of Uncle Scar, right?"

"You mean the crazy lion who liked hyenas?" Tanabi piped up curiously," _Everyone _knows bout that old story."

"Well, Scar and your grandma Zira did some _very_ horrible things that made all of the animals upset. Especially grandpa Simba. He was so angry that he kicked your grandma out of the pride. I think that the animals are afraid that something bad will happen because you are a part of this family."

"That's not fair!" the small cub shot back, "Me an' Ayira don't even know grandma. We're grandpa Simba's family too!"

"We know baby, we know," Kiara told him soothingly, "Don't be angry at the cheetahs. They were probably taught to not like anyone from the outlander pride at a young age. Think about it, they said some really mean things to you so you don't like them anymore…"

"Yeah!"

"It's the same for them. The outlanders _and _thepridelanders hurt a lot of animals so that makes the cheetahs afraid; they don't want history to repeat itself. That's what hate _is_, Tanabi. Hate is something that takes anger that you have for someone and it gets bigger and bigger when you act on it. That person in return will eventually start to get angry and then get you back. It goes on and on until you realize you have _no_ reason to dislike the person at all but for the sake of hate."

"Whoa. That's a lot of not liking someone," was Tanabi's thoughtful reply as he scrunched up his little nose, "Way too confusin'. I dunno if I want to go through all of that."

The golden lioness felt herself smile inwardly at Tanabi's simple answer, "See? It's almost silly to hate someone. Tanabi, Ayira, I don't expect you to ever forget what they said to you but I'd want you to at least find it in your heart to forgive the cheetahs. It'll help you feel better, I promise."

"But they'll still think that we're dirty evil outlanders, mom," Ayira huffed.

"Are you evil outlanders?"

"No way!"

"Then what does it matter what they say, baby?" Their father interjected gently, "Just because someone calls you that doesn't mean that you are. If they keep teasing you, go get your mom or me. We'll set them straight."

"Oh...okay. Hey Daddy, we're you ever picked on when you were a cub?"

"All the time, honey." Kovu smiled. "I didn't let it get to me though because I knew that I wasn't anything like what they said."

"I didn't believe what they said about your daddy anyways," Kiara said grinning as she reached up to nuzzle him. The two parents started to purr happily, "It was love at first sight and it's been love ever since."

"We're still _here _you know!" Tanabi exclaimed, shuddering.

He hated when his parents openly showed affection between each other, it was like watching a newborn antelope walk. The cub knew it was going to be a complete disaster but he still had the disturbing fascination to continue watching them. _How disgusting_.

"Well we should probably be heading back to Pride Rock. We have a party to crash, remember?" Kovu said cheerfully.

"Yeah! C'mon Ayira, I'll race ya back!"

"Hey, hey! Wait up Tanabi, you aren't supposed to cheat!"

"You're not 'posed to _whine_, either. C'mon pokey!"

Kiara and Kovu shook their heads at their cubs amusedly.

"Think they'll be fine?" Kiara asked, cocking an eyebrow playfully. Her mate chuckled.

"No doubt," Kovu purred into his Queen's ear as he fell back into another nuzzle.

OooO

It wasn't long before the family made their return to Pride Rock. Everything was very hushed and silent, nobody could be seen. The inner cave was extremely dark and it seemed that the rest of the pride had vanished.

"_Okay_. This is just too creepy," Ayira whispered after a moment of awkwardness. She stepped behind her father's foreleg in order to protect herself.

"You're not scared, are you sis?" Tanabi asked playfully, grinning at the orange cub.

"I am _not_ scared Tanabi!" Ayira announced, turning her little nose upward in an arrogant manner.

Suddenly Jelani jumped up from behind her and let out a huge "BOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ayira let out a loud shriek and literally jumped a few feet before coming back down, offically scared out of her mind. When she saw Jelani and Tanabi laughing at her, an embarrased frown came to her mussle.

"You shoulda seen the _look_ on your face!" Jelani wheezed from laughter, "Now that's what you call priceless!"

"Mom, Dad, tell Jelani to stop picking on me," Ayira whined, shoving a laughing Tanabi out of her way.

"That wasn't very nice Jelani," her mom reprimanded Jelani.

"Does anybody else smell..._meat_?" Kovu asked as he sniffed the air.

Tanabi took in a huge whiff through his nose. It was the overwhelming smell of fresh meat alright, like something that had just died and there was a lot of it. He frowned; did those two cheetahs Bujune and Chakide show up at Pride Rock?

"_SURPRISE_!" the pride exclaimed loudly, completely shocking the living souls out of the cubs and their parents.

The sound of a spark being made was heard and a single flame started to illumanate the cave. The small light gave away that their friends and family had been hiding in various places in the caves, all of them giving bright smiles. Many colorful fruits of all shapes and sizes that Tanabi nor Ayira had ever seen before were gathered in the center of the den. A dead wilderbeast lay within the myriad of fruits as the main course.

"It's about time you guys got here!" Simba announced with a bright welcoming smile on his face as he came to nuzzle his daughter and son-in law.

"This is amazing Simba," Kovu replied in awe. The King's eyes grew wide at the sight of everything, he couldn't believe the effort everyone put into the dinner.

"Wow Daddy! You did all of this for us?" Kiara asked excitedly as she nuzzled her father.

"Hey, don't forget about us! What do you think we are missy? Chopped liver?" quipped a familiar voice. Kiara's smile quickly spread across her mussle.

"Timon! Pumbaa!" Kiara cried out to the meerkat and warthog. "When did you guys get back?"

Timon and Pumbaa smiled at the golden lioness. The duo hadn't changed much throughout the past two years they had been gone. Timon's fur was now starting to get a slight gray tint, which was clearly evident due to the torch he was currently carrying.

"This morning, your highness. Though we might've been here a bit quicker if _somebody _here wouldn't have made that little pit stop," Timon replied giving Pumbaa a peeved look, but Pumbaa just smiled, oblivious to his friend. The torch's toasty flames cast a slight shadow on Timoon's body, dancing against a silent rhythm.

"Aww! Are these the little cubs Simba's been telling us about?" Pumbaa cooed at the obviously grown Ayira and Tanabi. Tanabi smirked at the red-brown warthog.

"I'm _not_ a cub. The name's Tanabi," the prince replied proudly puffing out his chest, looking haughty, "You have probably heard lots of stories about my adventures."

"Nope!" Pumbaa replied cheerfully to which Tanabi gaped at him, slightly embarrassed.

Ayira chuckled lightly at her brother, her green eyes dancing playfully.

"My name is Ayira. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Ayira said politely, bowing to the meerkat and warthog.

"Well, isn't she a smart one? Giving respect to her elders. I think I'm gonna like ya kid," Timon replied coolly, "I hope she isn't going to be as prissy as little miss perfect over there."

Kiara rolled her eyes, "Timon just because you, Daddy and Pumbaa like to eat bugs doesn't mean every one else does."

Tanabi's red eyes widened, "You guys eat bugs! That is _so _cool!"

Timon grinned and put his hand on Tanabi's paw, "See this kid knows style _and_ taste. You stay with your Uncle Timon, kid, and I'll teach you the ropes."

"_Awesome_!"

Everyone in the cave sighed. Letting Timon and Pumbaa teach Tanabi 'the ropes" would be disastrous.

Simba motioned the family outside to the edge of Pride Rock to start the celebration.

It was chilly outside as the gentle wind blew across the pridelands. The sky had already been dyed a deep midnight blue color littered with the glistening of tiny stars. The land was bathed in dark shadows while the ethereal rays of the full moon above them made every lion and lioness look like they were literally shining in it is light. Singing and chirping of insects gave the atmosphere a more relaxed feeling and in the distance, you could still make out the figures of the other animals making their way home. Tanabi had never been allowed outside this late at night before and he absorbed everything around him in excitement. Everything about the pridelands was beautiful.

The pridelanders and outlanders sat on opposite sides, not due to discriminatory acts. This was part of the opening ceremony, with the original seven outlanders and their families on one side, the pridelanders and their families on the other side. Near the front sat the royal family, spread out on each side with Kovu and Kiara sitting in the middle, behind them Simba and Nala sat, smiling warmly at each other. Tanabi looked up cheerfully at his father who winked at him. Everyone was sitting quietly and respectively waiting for the lion that started it all to begin his speech.

"One year ago, none of this could have been possible," Simba started solemnly as all eyes fell on him, "One year ago, we were still wrapped up in our anger and hatred for one another that we almost destroyed each other because of it."

Most of the lionesses frowned; they were very ashamed of this as they looked at each other.

"We are all part of the Circle of Life, a great wonderful cycle and we had almost forgotten it. But because of the bravery of two lions who sit before us today, we now are together again."

Kovu smiled dotingly down at his mate and nuzzled her. Kovu knew Kiara had no idea how wonderful she was to him. How she had shown him the light and because of her, he has a beautiful family and lifelong friends. He wouldn't trade any of that for the world.

"That doesn't mean that within these past couple of years. We have had our troubles, we have _fought_, we have _struggled _and we have _suffered_. To those who said "we couldn't", look to the left of you and look to the right of you."

Tanabi did so looking at all of the people in his life, all of the lionesses of Pride Rock he had grown up with. His aunt Vitani with her mate Otien and his best friend Jelani, Kutu and her mother Waridi, his parents and older sister, his grandparents Simba and Nala, his great-grandmother Sarafina. Even the all of the other lionesses in the pride played a part in his life. There was a saying that his mom always said to him and believed in with all her heart, something that summed up exactly how he was feeling right now. _We are one. _

"Today is a very special day. Today is another beginning of hope for the future," Simba said cheerfully as everyone else nodded in agreement. "Let us have a moment of silence to forgive those who don't understand, for those who have made transgressions upon this land. For they were just like us once and they deserve to be remembered as well, for they are the ones who have made us stronger."

Every pride member bowed their head in reverenced silence. Kovu prayed for his mother and brother.

_Nuka and Mother I hope you have found happiness wherever you are,_ Kovu thought with a warm smile on his face, a single tear rolled down his cheek. But he wasn't sad anymore; he was comforted with the thought that now he could more on and live a happy life with his family.

Then after the moment of silence, Simba let out a mighty roar to the skies. The roar was so powerful; Tanabi literally felt a chill go up his spine. Then one by one, the other lionesses let out roars of triumph and happiness.

At that moment everything was perfect.


	8. Hamna Shida!

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

**Change Arc**

Chapter 8- Hamna Shida

_Disclaimer- I don't own Song For The Children, that belong to the Disney people. I'm glad I don't anyways, it's not popular enough to support my habit of getting high. While I'm on a roll here, I don't own any of the characters in TLK, just my OCs and damn, you can _have_ them :P. _

* * *

"Is everyone ready to party?"

Timon shouted above the constant chatter of the lions and lionesses of Pride Rock, which indicated that yes, they were ready. The meerkat grinned, he was completely in his element.

"Alright! Alright! _Let's get this started_!"

Despite Timon's words earlier, the party had already been in full swing. Pride Rock was the _hottest _place in Africa that night. Loud music was literally rocking the cave they were in, monkeys who gladly volunteered to play music were beating on home-made drums while colorful birds were singing soaring melodies. The rhythms that were playing were reminiscent of the African tribes of the time and were upbeat and very lively. Most of the lionesses were talking animatedly among each other while their young cubs ran around the central cave, weaving in and out of their mothers' forelegs, laughing wildly.

The older cubs didn't have such a luxury of this as they were hiding inside of one of the minor caves, watching their friends and family. Tanabi was antsy with anticipation. During the last few months of preparing of the celebration, he and his sister was roped into helping the "choir" sing. The choir was made of the older cubs within the group, mainly made up of outlander descent. He could remember as clear as day what his father said after he teased Jelani about singing.

OooO

_"Jelani, what are those funny sounding noises you are making with your throat?" Tanabi asked laughing after catching his friend practicing his scales. _

_"Oh Tanabi! I'm just warmin' my voice up for the song we're gonna be singing at the party," Jelani replied as he smirked, "I'm gonna be singin' the main part! Pretty cool huh?" _

_"Singing? What's so great about singing?" Tanabi asked, turning his nose up. "I thought that was something only lionesses do." _

_"What are you tryin' to say Squirt? That Jelani isn't cool because he sings?" Vitani asked with an amused look on her face. _

_"No...no. That's not what I meant. Honest!" Tanabi backtracked nervously with a weak smile on his face. You didn't pick on Aunt Vitani's cub while she was around, especially when she could actually hear you. _

_"Males have sung for centuries Tanabi," Kovu replied with a smile before he smiled mischievously. "Maybe, you should join the choir as well. I mean your sister is already in it and I'm pretty sure that the choir would need another strong male voice such as yourself. Whaddya say kiddo?"_

OooO

...And that was what put him in this situation he was in now. He didn't like singing that much, he thought he sounded like Masozi's normal talking voice while he was singing and his throat would always hurt afterward. Kiara would laugh and just say that he was going through "puberty", but Tanabi didn't even know what puberty meant.

"Are you just as excited as I am?" Ayira squealed with happiness, bouncing up and down on the heels of her paws. "Just imagine the feeling of going in front of everyone, the rush of hitting that high note. _Oh, _this is so much fun!"

"Err... I think I lost ya on imagine," Tanabi replied dryly to his sister whose smile looked like it was going to split her mussle in half. "Isn't that right Jelani?"

Jelani didn't say anything, he was looking straight ahead into the crowd of lions and lioness. He had been standing there like that since they had left, with such a serious, determined look on his face. Tanabi smiled inwardly, Jelani may be a troublemaker but he could buck up when he needed to.

"I just feel butterflies," groaned a female cub beside Tanabi, her name was Baaka. "If we don't hurry up and do this thing, I think I'm gonna get sick all over my paws." Tanabi moved a couple of inches away from the female cub after noticing the unnatural greenish-tint to her normally dark brown face.

"Listen up everyone!" interrupted their choir teacher of sorts, an outlander about Nala's age with tawny gray colored pelt and dark circles around her eyes. They called her Miss Dotty due to the three beauty marks under her left eye.

"I want you all to sing as loud as you can and remember all of your cues. But most of all, I want you guys to have fun out there," She said winking at her students." Now, let's show 'em how its done."

The lionesses sat around waiting for the cubs to show up. Nala yawned slightly and laid on her stomach, trying to get comfortable.

"Aww, this is _so_ cute," Kiara cooed as she waited. "It's gonna be their first song ever! I'm so excited, aren't you Kovu?"

Kovu grinned at his mate. "Of course I am babe. You almost sound like a cute little cub yourself."

Kiara raised an eyebrow at his comment. "A _cub_ huh? I'll show you how much of a grown lioness I can be," she purred playfully as she ticked Kovu's chin with the end of her tail, a definite tone of seductiveness in her voice.

"I'm _looking _forward to it."

"Not while I'm here you're not," Vitani retorted with a disgusted look on her face. "At least have _some _respect for others in here, you two love birds."

"Look who's talkin' sis," Kovu shot back teasingly, "I seem to remember you and Otien rolling around in the grass in _daytime_ in front of-"

"Enough!" Vitani cut him off, blushing in embarrassment. "It wasn't _my _fault! How was I to know the cubs liked to play down there?"

Otien grinned stupidly as he usually did, but this time there was a devious meaning to it and this made Kovu laugh even harder.

Vitani shoved Otien playfully in retaliation." Well, it's not like that'll be happening anytime soon with a new cub on the way."

"Congratulations, Vitani!" Nala exclaimed in excitement. "How far along are you?"

"Probably a month tops," Vitani said with an content sigh as Otien nuzzled her. "We were planning for a little playmate for Jelani to play with."

"So Otien, you lucky guy," Simba asked ribbing the slender lion knowingly."What are your bets for this one? Hoping for another son?"

Otien smiled proudly. "Of course, my highness. But as long as my cub comes out healthy, I don't really care what it is."

"Vitani told you to say that didn't she?"

"Ah! Anotha' soul in de circle of life," Rafiki replied cheerfully as he hobbled into the cave with his long, twisted cane. Everyone smiled fondly at the old baboon, he was getting pretty old now and wasn't as active as he used to be but he always kept a keen, sharp mind.

"Rafiki, my friend," Simba exclaimed with a warm smile as he gave the baboon a gentle hug and allowing him to sit in between him and his daughter. "How have you been doing?"

Rafiki smiled at the golden lion. "I have ben workin' on a potion for you and your friends here." Rafiki replied with a bright smile as he held up a circular looking jug that sloshed with some type of liquid. "Dis will be de life of de party."

Simba caught a whiff of the liquid and winced at the immense sugary scent. His eyes then widened considerably and he automatically knew what it was, Nala caught on quickly and the two started laughing. The younger generation gave their elders a quizzical look, what could be going on in their heads?

Suddenly the talking of the lionesses quickly died down and the beating of the drums slowed down to just a couple of beats. The choir came out one by one in their formation. Some of the female cubs had already started harmonizing and chanting, with Jelani and Tanabi's voices being the most prevalent and strong. Another female group started right after Jelani and Tanabi, then Jelani stepped in front of everyone else. His voice was a strong tenor that was very smooth almost like butter.

_I was born in times of misery and pain _

_Throughout my life, I've never known happiness_

_Melody, my true love and company _

_In her song, she helps me carry on _

_I'm singing my song _

The female part of the choir started to pick up their harmonizing while keeping their voices steady and soft. Vitani whistled for her son saying "You go Jelani!"

_I sing it for the children _

_This is a song _

_For all of the children of the world. _

_In a song of peace and happiness is said _

_The harmony a sweet melody _

Everybody then started singing with Jelani, loudly and proudly. Their voices blending in perfectly with Jelani's standing out the most.

_This is a song, for all of the world's children! _

_Without conscious minds and a positive meaning. _

_They are the light! _

_For all of God's people. _

_Deep in their hearts! _

_There's hope for the future! _

_This is a song for all of the children _

_This is a song. _

The young cubs took a bow as everyone started clapping and whooping in enthusiasm. They looked at each other and grinned, utterly exhausted and breathing hard, sweat beading down their foreheads and gleaming in the light of the flames but they were too hyped up to care. They scattered to find their mothers as Timon got back up on the "stage".

"You two were wonderful!" Kiara exclaimed as her two cubs ran up to her, she licked them both on the cheek. "I'm very proud of you."

Kovu grinned knowingly at Tanabi,"See it wasn't that bad, was it son?"

"Is that supposed to be some kinda joke?" Tanabi said balking at his father, "If it was that was a really bad one!" His parents laughed at this.

"C'mere my little star!" Vitani replied as she grabbed her son by the neck and started giving him a noogie despite his protests. "Who woulda known that Jelani was quite the songbird? I betcha get all of the ladies huh?"

"_Mom_! You're embarrassing me!" Jelani whined as he struggled to get out of his mother's grip and when he did, his fur on his head started crackling with static electricity. "C'mon you guys, let's get outta here."

"I'm right with you on that one!" Tanabi and Ayira chimed in together as they followed their disgruntled cousin to go find Kutu.

"Oh. You're too good to be seen around your mother anymore? Well fine!"

"And if anyone is up for it, the next event will be a snail-slurping contest!" Timon announced as loud as he could but he almost got drowned out in all of the noise. Groaning in defeat he jumped down off the stage and came paddling next to his lion friends. "What does it take to get SOME RESPECT AROUND HERE?" Timon shouted as he hopped up and down like a mad rabbit.

"Aww c'mon Timon. They're just havin' some fun," Pumbaa consoled his friend by patting him on the back.

"Fun my left foot. It sounds more like they're havin' a riot," Timon retorted. "Carnivores! Oi!"

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you _ladies_ but I'm gonna be slurping some snails," Kovu said as he got up and stretched his legs leisurely, trying to circulate the blood flow in them again." Who else is up for it?"

"I'm in," Otien announced.

"Count me in too," Simba said in which Nala gasped.

"Oh no, you're not Simba. What if you get sick?"

"Don't worry about him_, _madam," Timon said with a chuckle as he leaned on Nala's shoulder. "My buddy Simba can take _anything_ you throw at him. I'm proud to say that he was the snail-slurping champion for ten times in a row."

"Yeah, he beat Timon so many times that Timon almost-" Pumbaa's comment was cut off by Timon trying to close his mouth.

"Ha! He was just kiddin'!" Timon cried out laughing nervously as all surrounded him rolled their eyes. "C'mon, let's get this started!"

The lionesses and their cubs watched as the grown lions had just run off, laughing. Nala shook her head in disappointment.

"That Simba, sometimes I swear he acts like he has never grown up," Nala replied with a sigh. Rafiki started chuckling wryly.

"Now dat I got you ladies by yourselves, I got somedin for you to try," Rafiki said as he pulled out the jar of liquid, his beady yellow eyes flashing wickedly.

"Eww! What is _that_ smell?" Vitani asked as she backed away from the sweet smelling stuff like it was on fire. "It smells horrible!"

"Lemme see," Kiara asked as she leaned in to smell it but then she sneazed. "AH! What is that stuff Rafiki?"

"Dis is a love potion passed down from Pride Lander to Pride Lander for centuries," He replied as he waved a hand over it, pulling the top off. Inside was a cool looking light purple like juice that was bubbling in some places. The sweet smelling stuff was overbearing and gave Vitani and Kiara headaches. "Your grandfader used to drink dis stuff all of de time during special occasions."

"Of course he did Rafiki," Nala replied as she took the gourd from Rafiki and took a long sip from it. Kiara and Vitani's jaws almost literally hit the floor as they saw her actually _enjoying_ the stuff. Nala let out a content sigh as she licked the rest from her lips. "I gotta say, this stuff hits the spot every time." Rafiki laughed at this.

"Well...if my mom trusts it. I might as well," Kiara said with a brave gulp as Rafiki handed the gourd to her.

She looked at it with nervousness with a mintue before starting to drink. At first the sweetness was subtle but as she drunk more of it, a sudden wave of sugar hit her with full force almost burning her throat. Her hazel eye dilated with the force of the stuff and her thought process started getting a little hazy. As she let go, she started feeling light-headed and giggly.

"Kiara? Are you okay?" Vitani asked her friend as she waved a hand in front of her face to which Kiara started bursting out laughing for no reason.

Rafiki smiled, the party was just beginning.

OooO

"CHUG IT! CHUG IT! CHUG IT! CHUG IT! CHUG IT!"

A crowd of lionesses had surrounded Simba, Kovu and Otien as they were in the middle of their snail-slurping contest. They each were locked into a battle of to the death, with Simba leading by one and Kovu close behind him. Otien looked like he was about to pop.

"C'MON GRANDPA YOU CAN DO IT!" Tanabi cheered wildly watching his grandfather with great interest. "C'MON, WHOOP THOSE LOSERS!"

"YOU'RE DOING GREAT DAD!" Jelani shouted, getting in front of Tanabi. Tanabi shoved Jelani playfully and Jelani shoved back, next thing the two were on the floor wrestling.

"I don't even understand why we bothered to watch," Ayira told her friend Kutu who was half-asleep on the floor. "I'm just glad our mothers have more sense."

"I don't know about that, Ayira," Kutu said softly with a giggle as she watched Vitani, Kiara, Nala and her mother Waridi in a drunken version of the conga line. Nala had slipped on one of her hind paws and like that, the rest of them fell over on top of each other like dominoes. They had started bursting out laughing hysterically.

"...You know what? Just forget what I just said," Ayira said as Simba slurped his last snail and the wild cheering started up again as the snail-slurping finally found its king. The next thing she heard was a loud burp and the sound of more laughing. She shook her head at them.

"_Oh_, Simba my king. _Your _Queen is waiting for you," Nala purred seductively as she walked next to Simba, her blue-green eyes directing a saucy look at him. Getting the hint, Simba gave her a very devious smile of his own and the two former monarchs went to their personal cave for some alone time.

"What was that all about?" Kovu asked Otien with a smile as Kiara and Vitani came up to them laughing giddily.

"Arright," Vitani slurred as she rose to her hind legs, hiccuping as she did so. She pointed staggeringly to Kiara who immediately took the challenge giggling. "Weeee're gonna end this righ' here, Priiiiiincess!"

"Bring it on!" Kiara cried out laughing, her slur equal or perhaps even worse than Vitani's. "Whassit gonna be?"

Vitani was silent for a minute, obviously failing to think of what she was challenging Kiara, before announcing it. After looking over at Otien and Kovu with glazed eyes, a foxy sneer came to her lips.

"Kissinnnnnng contest!" she cried, pumping a paw in the air. Kiara made a face, but it looked more comical than menacing.

"You ain't kissin' my Kovu!" Kiara declared, very painfully under the influence of whatever she drunk. Vitani shook her head, it was then obvious who she was going to use. Otien backed away slowly, but Vitani already had a firm grip on his tail. Kiara had caught Kovu before he could think to run...although Kovu, didn't mind at all. He looked like he was going to enjoy it.

"Ayira!" Kiara shouted to the young cub who was watching the scene unfold with no small amount of confusion. Kiara tried to focus on her daughter, but her hazel eyes got cross-eyed in the process and she pointed at Kutu who was giggling. "Time us!"

"Okay, mom," Ayira replied with a sigh. "Ready...set...go."

There was no need to say that as the two couples were already all on each other. Kutu gave her friend a sympathetic look and the two started counting.

It was another ten minutes before Tanabi and Jelani had returned from playing, and when they finally found their parents, they_ really _wished they hadn't.

"OH MY GOD! That is disgusting!" Jelani cried out, trying to shield his eyes from seeing his mother and father kissing passionately. "_It's like they're trying to eat each other's faces_!"

Tanabi looked at his mother and father, blinking twice.

"They have to come up for _air_, don't they?" Tanabi asked watching his parents going at it in awe mixed in disgust. He never knew that they could open their mouths that big. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Aww c'mon guys," Ayira rolled her eyes, "I think its _kinda _sweet."

"Adults are weird," Kutu replied blushing as she turned away. "Really, really, really weird."

* * *

_And that is the end of Chapter Eight! I had a blast with writing this chapter and I'm glad that I was able to focus on some of the older characters for a while. Anyways if anybody is offended about the whole sexual innuendo thing, I'm sorry but I couldn't resist!^^. Heh, I think those poor cubs will need A LOT of brain bleach to get those images out of their heads! Does anybody remember Masozi? I really hope you do, that's all I'm sayin'. I want to give a shout-out to **HiddenMusic, Prince of Pride **and **Hikari123 **for reviewing! Thank you for helping me make it to my ten-review mark! _

_Names:_

_Baaka: First Born_

**Edit: 10/19/10**


	9. Tragedy Strikes The Pride Lands

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones**

**Change Arc**

Chapter Nine: Tragedy At The Pridelands

* * *

It was late at night when Bujune heard the loud noises booming from Pride Rock. After a few minutes of tossing and turning in the grass, he sat up and opened his heavy-lidded eyes in annoyance.

_Stupid outlanders, _he snarled silently to himself.

"Bujune, do you hear that? How disgusting," Chakide grumbled. He sat up carefully, hoping not to upset the sleeping Masozi beside him.

"Just who do those outlanders think they are?" Bujune asked heatedly, he clawed at the ground beneath him with such force; dust came out of the ground. "They think that they can just come in here and poison _our_ kingdom? Simba would've never thought about merging the pride without those damn_ cubs_ around!"

The brothers stared out into the distance with anger burning in their eyes. There those outlanders were, turning their sacred Pride Rock into nothing more than a playground. The outlanders' false King, _Kovu_, was probably in there right now, laughing his ass off at how trusting Simba had become and plotting his takeover of the pridelands. Kovu was nothing more than a Scar substitute, like father, like son. The cheetahs had seen all of this before in the past and tried to warn everyone of just what evil he was capable of but none of the animals wanted to hear it. They preferred to act like it wasn't happening and called the cheetahs paranoid, crazy even. Tonight, however, was a clear sign that could not be ignored. It was time for something to be done about the outlander scum before it got out of hand, to strike while they were still growing in numbers.

Chakide knew exactly what that plan of action was.

"Calm down, brother. Be patient for a bit longer," The scarred cheetah consoled his brother coldly, his green eyes flashing malevolently in the dark. "We will rid the bridge between the pridelanders and the outlanders permanently."

"How?" Bujune spat, "Simba's playing happy families with those demons."

"We'll just have to tear that happy family apart then," Chakide replied, a smirk coming to his mussle. He leaned closer to Bujune and whispered a few wicked words into his ear, each one lighting up his brother's brown eyes with viciousness. When he was done, Bujune mirrored his smirk with a wry one of his own.

"Ooh, that's good brother...I think I'm going to _enjoy_ this. Those outlander filth won't know what hit them!"

"Exactly," Chakide purred maliciously, "We'll destroy them, starting with their weakest link. Once _they_ fall, nothing will stop Simba from keeping those outlanders in the pride any longer."

"It's time we restarted the war. Purge the outlanders from the land once and for all."

OooO

Most of Pride Rock was still asleep the following morning. It was finally around mid morning when some the lionesses started to get up but they did it rather sluggishly. Apparently, they partied too hard that night and everyone in the vicinity had fallen ill with the mysterious case of having a headache. Some of the lionesss had stayed up to at least four in the morning before a fed up Kovu, who had to get up when the sun rises every morning, snapped angrily at everyone telling them to go to bed. They hadn't even cleaned up the main cave yet but they figured that they would probably eat everything else afterward.

Tanabi sighed softly to himself, he had been up pretty early this morning and wasn't feeling the least bit tired. He had spent most of the morning looking for somebody to play with but unfortunately for him, Jelani was helping take care of his mother who had gotten ill from drinking Rafiki's "magic love potion" and couldn't come to play. The other cubs were out training with their mothers in order to learn how to hunt, for when they joined the hunting party later this year. This left the younger cubs, but the type of playing he wanted to do would hurt them.

Giving up on his journey for companionship, the brown cub plopped himself on the edge of Pride Rock and started to sulk.

"Don't tell me the great Tanabi is actually sad?" Ayira gasped teasingly as she sat down beside her twin brother. The prince rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"What do you want, Ayira?" Tanabi asked."Don't you and Kutu have some place to be right now? _Away_ from me?"

"Kutu had to help her mother. Unlike a certain someone I know," Ayira replied shortly. "I mean our mother is in there with a headache and all you can do is sit around and mope. Have some consideration for once!"

"That's ironic comin' from you sis," Tanabi said nonchalantly. He rolled over on his back and yawned. "Maybe I should take another nap, wake me up when somethin' interestin' happens."

"What are you cubs doing laying around here?" Kovu asked cheerfully as he stepped outside with a strange green hornbill perched on his shoulder. Ayira brightened considerably aand she ran over to her dad.

"Good morning father!" Ayira said, nuzzling him. "What are you doing out here so late? Shouldn't you be out on your morning prowl already?"

Kovu smiled, "I would have been but I just found out that I had gotten a new adviser." He motioned to the green hornbill on his shoulder.

"This is Dede, Zazu's son. He will be my and your mother's adviser and some day he will work under you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, princess," Dede said with a charming smile as he bowed to Ayira.

Dede looked similar to his father except he was a dark forest green color and the tips of his wings were a lighter shade of green. He also didn't have Zazu's atrocious eyebrows and seemed more laid-back than his retired father.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Dede," Ayira said respectfully with a bow of her own. She then turned to Tanabi, who was still pouting on the tip of Pride Rock. "And that sad lump of fur is my brother, Tanabi."

"Lo." was Tanabi's short and informal reply, he didn't even turn around.

"Just ignore him," Ayira said rolling her eyes, "He thinks he is _too _cool to be talking to us mere mortals. Isn't that right, Tanabi?"

Tanabi grunted and turned his back away from Ayira even more. She smirked.

"Son, why don't you go take a walk outside for a while. It is a beautiful day," Kovu said with a placid smile on his face as a pleasant breeze blew at them.

"It's not the same without Jelani," Tanabi grumbled.

"Then why don't you and your sister do something together?" Dede suggested.

"_What_?" Tanabi and Ayira exclaimed at the same time. Tanabi sat straight up, now fully awake.

"You gotta be kiddin' me. Do something with _Ayira_? I'd rather get eaten alive by a cobra!"

"Do something with Tanabi? His stupidity would get us _both_ killed. I'd rather feed him to a cobra myself!"

"Oo...kay," Kovu replied, eying his cubs weirdly. Only the ancestors above knew why they had such morbid thoughts running through their heads. "That just proves that you two need to bond. Spend more brother and sister quality time with each other. You guys don't know, you might find out that you have more in common than you think."

"...Well," Ayira said thoughtfully," We both like hanging out with Masozi and that's something we have in common. Actually that's about the _only_ thing we have in common."

"I don't think you should hang around Masozi anymore," Kovu said suddenly.

"Why not?" Tanabi asked curiously. He idly flicked a pebble off of the edge of Pride Rock.

"There have been reports that Masozi has been physically assaulting other animals without any reason," Kovu replied," I have talked to the victims of his so-called assaults and many have said that he had done this without warning."

"That doesn't sound like Masozi," Tanabi murmured, a frown on his features."He's the nicest animal I've ever met."

This was true, Masozi was very childlike and innocent. Tanabi learned that within the few hours he had spent with him. The rhino would watch everything around him with rapt interest and was the first to comfort a crying Kutu when she fell and bruised her paw. Masozi had gently touched her and with only a few words, Kutu was all better. Masozi also got upset when the cubs were chasing after a chameleon and scolded them, saying that it was his friend.

Now Masozi _accidentally_ hurting someone Tanabi could see.

"So what? They could be lying to you Dad," Ayira shot back defensively. "Don't you know that most of the animals tease him because of his handicap? They make him cry almost everyday because of it _and_ they are the ones who hit him when he isn't looking. If there was anybody who did need to beat up someone, it should be Masozi!"

"Ayira, violence never answers anything. You know that," Kovu explained patiently to his daughter, a bit taken back by her outburst. "If Masozi had any kind of problem, he should've came and talked it out with me or your mom. We would have straightened it out. I just don't trust him, Ayira."

"You don't know anything about him Daddy!" Ayira protested, trying to get a foot hold in the argument. "You have never even talked to Masozi and yet you judge him on your feelings! I thought you said that you shouldn't judge a lion by his color."

"This is different," Kovu retorted angrily, losing his patience."Young lioness, if you don't listen to me, I swear I will ground you until you are Queen! Do I make myself clear?"

There was a threatening undertone in Kovu's powerful voice and Ayira flinched, she was actually terrified of her father. He never talked to her like that before. Ayira, sensing that she had already lost the battle, felt her eyes go moist in defeat. Tanabi's eyes had widened to the size of plates.

"_Yes sir_," Ayira whispered her voice barely audible. She had lowered her face so that Kovu couldn't see her crying.

"Do you understand?" Kovu shouted at her again.

"Yes_ sir_!" Ayira shouted back angrily.

She shoved passed her father in anger, tears streaming down her face. The orange cub ran down the steps of Pride Rock and out into the fields with Kovu watching her after helplessly, a look of guilt written all over his face. Tanabi, who had mastered the art of being low-key after so many verbal fights with his parents, laughed sheepishly and ran after his sister quiet as a mouse. Tanabi's exit would have been hilarious to Kovu if not that he was in a foul mood.

"Ayira must hate me now," Kovu said softly, lowering his ears in sadness.

_Great Kovu, you managed to lose your temper with your cubs again! _Kovu chided himself angrily but he knew that getting angry would only make the situation worse. He hadn't meant to yell at Ayira but her comments had gotten to him, didn't she understand that he was worried about her?

"No sire. I don't think she does… she's a little angry at you but she'll get over it. I promise," Dede replied in a consoling manner to Kovu.

"How do you know?"

"Don't you remember being young like she is, sire? Your daughter may be angry with you right now, but she'll realize that it was a silly little argument and come around. You don't know this but you have more influence on her than anyone else. She's lucky to have a caring father like you."

"Are you trying to butter me up or trying to make me feel better?" Kovu asked in amused tone of voice, feeling a bit better. Dede shook his head.

"I should know. My father was the same way with me when I was a hatchling," Dede replied wistfully," It took me a long time before I realized that."

Kovu nodded," Your father was a great advisor and I think I'm gonna like you," Both Dede and Kovu smiled at each other." C'mon, let's get started on your first round around the Pride Lands."

OooO

Tanabi had searched everywhere for his sister and had no such luck. He had started to wish that he and Ayira were linked telepathically.

_Don't twins usually have that type of connection? _He mused to himself as he walked through the tall golden grasses in irritation. The dryness of the grass had made the blades stiff and it poked his sides making him feel itchy everywhere. _I mean the creepy old monkey mentioned something about twins being special. But that was the creepy monkey talking... Aww, screw it! Ayira if I can't find you within the next two minutes I'm going home! _

Luckily for Tanabi, he had found the orange cub within his line of vision. Ayira was lying despondently on a boulder, her paws covering her head and her face, like she was trying to hide from the world. It was obvious that she was still crying from the sniffing and shaking of her shoulders.

Quietly, Tanabi walked up to his sister and plopped himself on the ground beneath her.

"What's wrong, Ayira?" Tanabi asked calmly, watching the princess pick up her head slightly and peer down at him with one shiny green eye.

"_Leave__ me alone_!" was Ayira's sharp muffled response as she hid her face again.

Tanabi shook his head amused; he was used to Ayira being stubborn. But he was more stubborn than she was.

"C'mon sis, this is your brother you're talkin' to here! Don't try to be all tough now."

"Just leave me alone. I'm not in the mood!"

"_Tragic_. But fine, be like that," Tanabi said with a sigh as he yawned and stretched out on the ground."I'll just sit here and wait for a looooooong time. We have all the time in the world to talk, don't we?"

He closed his eyes and grinned inwardly, this trick always worked with Ayira. Sit there long enough and she'd feel really guilty about yelling at you and apologize. Either that or spill her guts out. He sat there for a couple of seconds, enjoying the darkness of his mind for a while before Ayira spoke up.

"Why does Dad have to be be so mean?" Ayira spoke up angrily, sniffing as she sat up. She seemed to have stopped crying now, tear streaks evident in her fur but there were still unshed tears in her eyes. "Masozi isn't like that! Sometimes Dad really gets on my nerves!"

"Aww c'mon sis," Tanabi reassured her, waving her off. "Dad is just bein' a worrywart that's all. It'll blow over eventually."

"You don't know Dad like I do," Ayira snapped coldly at her brother, lowering her head. "Whenever I make a friend, he worries that they could bite me, poison me or eat me."

_That's because they probably would! _Tanabi thought sarcastically, but wisely kept that little comment to himself.

"And then after a while he tells me to stop seeing them! He never actually had an actual _conversation_ with any of them! I guess having Kutu as a friend is okay for now, but who knows? One day he'll stop me from being friends with Kutu 'cause she has _teeth_!"

"He's not stopping you from havin friends sis," Tanabi remarked.

To be fair, Kovu had very good reasons for being paranoid. One time, Ayira had made a friend with a snake and it had bitten her. Luckily, she hadn't been infected by poison, but it did start Kovu's little witch hunt with all of Ayira's unusual friends.

"I _knew_ you wouldn't understand," Ayira retorted."You don't have to worry about losing Jelani, he's _family _and your best friend. Imagine somebody telling you that you could never see Jelani ever again. How would that make you feel?"

"Pretty bad, I guess."

"Yeah well, that's what I go through all the time. And it sucks!" Ayira cried out, swiping at a bug crawling on her rock, making it fly away. "And I never even get to say good-bye to them!"

"Why don't we just find Masozi?" Tanabi suggested to his sister. "That way you can say good-bye to him."

"I can't do that!" Ayira said, rolling her eyes."Dad told us not to go anywhere near Masozi. Do you _ever_ listen?"

"Ah. But this is where me and you are two totally different lions," Tanabi replied cheerfully. He jumped to his paws. "You'd just sit here and mope, while I on the other paw would just go see my friend anyways no matter _what_ Dad says."

"But, he told us not to," Ayira said stubbornly," I can't just disobey him like that. A Queen must exert self-control at all times."

"Like you did earlier?" Tanabi chuckled. Ayira shot him an annoyed look."So what? There's more to bein Queen then being proper and righteous all the time! C'mon sis, when have you ever taken a walk on the _wild_ side?"

"Never!" Ayira shot back. "I can't believe you'd be so disrespectful!"

"If you're worried about Dad catchin' us, don't worry. If he does, I'll tell him it's all my fault and you were just with us because you were telling me to stop," Tanabi reassured his sister charismatically, putting an foreleg around her shoulders." C'mon sis, whaddya have to lose?"

"...Well I dunno," Ayira replied unsure, pausing to look at Tanabi's smiling face. "Okay. Let's do this."

"Whoo hoo, that's the spirit!" Tanabi cheered happily, bouncing up and down on the pads of his paws as Ayira got off of her boulder. "I can't believe little miss _perfect_ is-"

"If a word gets out about me doing this," Ayira threatened."I will _kill _you Tanabi!"

Tanabi shrugged non-chalantly, "Eh, I've heard that one before."

And with that the two siblings walked into the tall grasses to go looking for their friend Masozi.

OooO

Meanwhile, Masozi had been lazily grazing with his "friends" Bujune and Chakide. He was contently chewing the crunchy grass while the cheetahs had been sprawled out on the ground, very frustrated and irritated.

Bujune finally sat up and growled angrily.

"I'm tired of waiting! Where are _those_ cubs?" Bujune shouted as he bared his fangs, "If they don't come soon, _I'll _go after them myself!"

"Easy brother," Chakide replied,"If we go after them, somebody is bound to notice and help out. Then our plan would be ruined. Let's just wait until nightfall; if they don't show up, we'll simply wait until tomorrow."

"Why does Friend Bujune and Friend Chakide not like Friend Ayira?" Masozi asked innocently, a sad look in his lazy eyes. "Did friend do something wrong?"

"_No_, _no_ Masozi. Friend Chakide and Friend Bujune are friends with Friend Ayira now," Chakide lied to him, an evil smirk on his face. "We are waiting for Friend Ayira, so we can play hide n' go seek with her!"

"Really? Masozi is happy! Masozi likes hide n' go seek!" Masozi cried out cheerfully. "Oh! Oh! Masozi sees friends now!"

Bujune and Chakide crouched into the grass, looking out into the distance. Sure enough, the brown and orange cubs were walking their way.

Bujune snickered malevolently; the cubs literally fell into their paws.

"Masozi, we're going to hide from Friend Ayira and give her a little _scare_," Chakide replied cheerfully, careful to keep his voice light and friendly. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes! Masozi can keep a secret! Masozi _loves _secrets!"

"Fine then. _Shut up_ already!" Bujune snarled in warning to Masozi who stood there grinning obliviously. The two cheetahs quickly hid lower into the grass, waiting for their time to strike, their fur blending perfectly with their surroundings.

"There you are Masozi! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Ayira cried out happily as she ran toward her friend. "How have you been?"

"Masozi is happy!" Masozi said with the same wide goofy smile he always had as he hugged Ayira, "Masozi is happy that Friend Tanabi and Friend Ayira are friends with Friend Chakide and Friend Bujune now!"

"…Who are you talking about, Masozi?" Tanabi asked carefully, a feeling of dread spreading throughout his body.

He hoped that Masozi wasn't talking about those cheetahs. The brown cub smelled cheetah all over the area, but didn't see anything. Inwardly, Tanabi knew something was wrong, he couldn't put a paw on it but he _knew _something was wrong.

"…Ayira, let's get outta here."

"What are you talking about, Tanabi?" Ayira asked curiously. "We just got here."

"Never mind that Ayira. We _gotta_ go, he brought those cheetahs."

Tanabi's tone of voice was calm, almost too calm for Ayira's liking. She saw the anxious look in Tanabi's eyes, whatever the reason he wanted to leave was spooking him and it started to make her panic. She never saw that look in his eyes before.

She smelt the air, Tanabi was right. There were cheetahs in this area. How did they not realize it?

"Okay, see ya Maso-" Ayira said quickly as she turned to leave.

Within the last word, the cheetahs bolted from the grass.

A searing hot pain caught her left ear. Ayira let out a agonizing roar as she collapsed, she didn't even hear Tanabi's horrified scream for her to watch out. Red blood suddenly filled her vision and Ayira started to panic more. She didn't know what was going on. The princess' heart stopped as she caught the blurred image of a cheetah on top of her, grinning evilly.

"_Long live the Queen_!" Chakide snarled in anger as he swiped at her.

Ayira let out another bone-chilling scream as he bit her near her neck, his sharp fangs easily ripping through her soft fur. She instinctively tried to fight him off of her but the full grown cheetah was too strong for the poor cub. Chakide cackled as he increased his pressure on Ayira's neck and at that moment, intense pain exploded all around her. The other cheetah Bujune neared the princess, ready to finish the job.

"**AYIRA**!**" **Tanabi roared in horror.

His heart thundered loudly in his ears, thrashing loudly and shouting out at him to let it out. Tanabi was paralyzed as he watched his sister's blood stain the earth and grass, turning everything a deep dark crimson color. Each time he heard Ayira's desperate shrieks, Tanabi could feel his hold on his sanity slipping and cracking, being replaced by hatred and a uncontrollable desire to murder the spotted monsters.

It only took one more scream. He snapped.

The prince launched himself with all his might at Chakide, knocking the cheetah clear off of Ayira. He pinned the cheetah down with a hard thump and started to attack in a blind frenzy. Claws, teeth, it didn't matter. That spotted bastard was trying to kill his sister, he _deserved_ death.

Chakide fought back, catching Tanabi in the face and the two felines started to wrestle along the ground, tearing into each other in rage. Bujune quickly caught on as he heard his brother's yowls of pain and immediately joined the fray, jumping on Tanabi's back. Tanabi let out a roar, feeling the weight of the cheetah crushing him and he thrashed wildly underneath Bujune. Tanabi got in a very lucky hit by shooting out on of his forepaws out and slashing Bujune across the eye. Bujune got off of the brown cub, clutching at his his eye, snarling. It was long before Tanabi took the opportunity to try and tackle Bujune, aiming at his throat with Chakide following right after the cub.

OooO

Simba laughed lightly, walking with Timon and Pumbaa to the northern border of the pridelands. Today was a perfect day as usual and he had spent the day just catching up with his oldest friends. Simba had to admit, it almost seemed like it was back in the good old days. He had missed the witty duo's antics and their carefree lifestyle.

As they neared their destination, Timon let out a sigh.

"And you're _sure_ that you don't wanna come back with us?" Timon said with a grin, "C'mon big guy! You could have _all_ the bugs you can eat!"

Simba chuckled and shook his head.

"Timon, you know I can't. I have a family who needs me. Besides it's not like we won't see each other again. You guys can come here as long as you want," Simba reassured the meerkat as he pulled Timon and Pumbaa into a huge hug.

"Okay! Okay! Okay! Breathing becoming a problem!" Timon complained. Simba released the two, rolling his eyes playfully."See ya big guy and say good-bye to the misses for me."

"Will do," Simba replied with a wink. Curiously, he peered down at his other warthog friend who was being unusually quiet distance."What are you lookin' at Pumbaa?"

"There's some guys fightin'," Pumbaa replied softly. Timon got on top of Pumbaa's head to get a better look.

"Whoa, is that one of the lions from your pride? 'Cause if it is those cheetahs really have it in for him!"

Simba narrowed his eyes. There were only two lions other than himself and he couldn't see Kovu or Otien trying provoke a fight. He hoped it wasn't just some stray rogue that had wandered into the border looking to cause trouble. Sure enough, he caught two cheetahs circling what looked like a young brown male, barely on the edge of being a teenager. When the cheetahs kicked up the fighting again, Simba started to notice he recognized the brown cub and it wasn't any ordinary cub, it was...

"_Tanabi_!" Simba gasped in worry and realization. The golden lion immediately then took off without any warning, shouting. "Timon, Pumbaa go find Kovu! Tell him that Tanabi is in trouble!"

"Gotcha!"

Simba ran as hard as he could. He prayed to the great kings it wasn't too late.

OooO

Tanabi felt like he had been fighting forever. His adrenaline rush was pumping more rage into his blood, fueling his drive to survive and win no matter what the price. The prince kept his mouth bared in a vicious, threatening snarl as he circled around the two cheetahs, locked in a deadly dance. Each step he took felt like it could be his last. He had no idea what the cheetahs were going to plan next but Tanabi knew that if and _when_ they were going to try something, he would try his hardest to rip their damn throats out. In the far distance, in another world, he could hear Masozi's loud hysterical cries for his friends to stop fighting. But it didn't reach the brown cub, no matter how pathetic the rhino sounded.

Tanabi knew that despite his sudden lust for murder, he couldn't keep this up forever. He was only alive because of a sheer miracle but that miracle was running out, he was growing increasingly exhausted and it was getting hard to breathe. Tanabi only wished that he could keep it up for as along as he could at least kill one of them or permanently maim the spotted freaks, it was the least he could do to avenge his sister. In the corner of his eye, Tanabi risked a chance to glance at his injured sister. Ayira was lying in a pool of her own dark blood but she was breathing very shallowly and weakly, indicating that she was barely hanging on to her life and relief flooded the cub's body.

_She's not dead! Maybe I have a chance! _

Tanabi's stupidity cost him as Chakide took this moment of weakness to ram Tanabi hard in the ribs. The young prince fell to the ground and closed his eyes as he saw Bujune getting ready to pounce him as well; fearing the worst. He didn't want to welcome death, but he found that he had no more fight left in him. The brown cub knew that he had failed his sister and he could only hope that while both of their deaths would be swift and painless and that Ayira would eventually forgive him in the afterlife.

But the worst never came as a sky shattering roar interrupted the assault. Tanabi felt the weight of the cheetah yanked off of him and the sounds of cheetahs yowling in pain splitting the air. His eyes flew open and he woozily sat up, seeing the broken body of Chakide dead on the ground in front of him, the cheetah's head completely dislodged from his shoulders. There was only one roar that carried that kind of intense, raw power. His grandfather had come to the rescue!

The massive gold lion was currently fighting Bujune, swiftly overpowering the cheetah. Tanabi watched in awe as Simba slapped Bujune away like he was nothing. He never knew that his grandfather was _so strong_. Sure, Tanabi had heard the stories from the older lionesses about Simba overthrowing his ancestor Scar and fighting off the whole outlander pride on his own, but he never imagined this. Simba was truly the Lion King.

"_Why are you hurting my friends_?"

Masozi suddenly appeared into the picture, distraught from the deaths of his friends, his mind shattered. The rhino roared out in rage and Simba didn't have to time to react as he was rammed into by Masozi's horn. Simba roared in agony as the impact of Masozi's horn sent him flying backwards into a nearby tree. He was thrown instantly to the ground and Masozi wasted no time in stomping the poor golden lion's ribs and body out of fear. Tanabi shook in absolute terror as the audible cracking of Simba's ribs were heard and Simba's roars grew louder in intensity.

Tanabi didn't know what crazy force possessed him to even try to do something so idiotic as screaming at a blood raging rhino to stop.

"_Masozi_! _Masozi_! _Masozi_! _STOP IT!_!" Tanabi screamed at the rhino, desperately hoping his voice could snapped the once gentle creature out of his terrifying rage.

He screamed louder and louder before taking the chance to slip underneath the rhino's left foot, taking Simba's place to get squashed. Masozi quickly stopped in reaction to seeing the young brown cub roaring defiantly up at him and reluctantly took a break in the attacks.

"Friend Tanabi! Please move!" Masozi cried out softly.

"No! I _**won't**_!" Tanabi shot back stubbornly, tears streaming down his face but he showed no ounce of fear towards the rhino, even as the shadow of this foot loomed ever closer. He pleaded and begged, his voice raw, "_Masozi_, _you are _better_ than this_! _Please_ Masozi _please __don't do this_! _You're my friend, Masozi! Please stop hurting my grandpa_!"

Masozi lifted his foot away from both Simba and Tanabi, whether out of the friendship they once held or out of guilt, Tanabi would never know or care. The only thing that mattered the most was his grandfather who was slowly dying.

"_Tanabi_," Simba croaked painfully. His breathing was barely audible and virtually non-existent. Tanabi tried not to look away from his grandfather's suffering face. Warm tears sprang to Simba's eyes as he tried to speak again, hacking out blood.

"Please don't talk grandpa, I'm fine," Tanabi sobbed, failing to smile through his tears. Tanabi nuzzled himself under Simba's paw and gently started to lick his grandfather's face, careful not to hurt him anymore. The brown cub couldn't stop the sorrow that was exploding out of him, his tiny body shook in reaction and he felt like he was going to get very sick. His grandpa couldn't die yet! He didn't want him to, his grandpa was invincible right? Right?

"_You were very brave, Tanabi_," Simba croaked again, a soft disturbing sound that was like laughter escaped from his mouth. His unseeing eyes looked up at the sky, looking for something he couldn't reach. "_I'm proud of you_, _you know that_?"

Tanabi nodded numbly, still sobbing. He buried himself into Simba's growing cold body, sinking his face into his grandfather's soft golden fur, clinging to him desperately. He hung on to any word Simba struggled to say, in his tortured mind, it at least meant that his grandfather wasn't leaving. Another, long violent cough shook the two of them and Tanabi knew that this one was the worst of them all. His eyes widened in horror at his grandfather who slowly started to close his eyes.

"_It's okay, Tanabi. Please...take care of the family for me.._"

"NO! NO! DON'T DIE!" Tanabi screamed at Simba, pushing at his face frantically, praying that his grandpa was only playing a cruel twisted joke and would wake up and laugh at him. "GRANDPA!"

But Simba didn't wake up, he only left Tanabi with a gentle smile to remember him by. More sobs hitched in Tanabi's chest and mouth, there was nothing else left in him. His grandpa was dead and it was all his fault. It was all his fault.

Tanabi let out one last anguished cry before collapsing to the ground, crying hysterically.

It was all his fault.

* * *

_OMG U KILLED SIMBAH! Yeah, I know I did and I'm sorry about that. In a way I have been foreshadowing this for quite a while now, even the three villians names Masozi, Bujune and Chakide have names that go hand and hand with this chapter. Things like that happen in the Circle of Life and I know it seems like a cop-out now but trust me, there's a VERY good reason behind it. You may not be able to see it now, but will be there. As for Tanabi and Ayira...well you'll just have the next chapter to find out don't you? Ha, I'm evil! There is one more chapter in the Change Arc before we more on to Part Two of the story and let's just say things won't ever be the same again. A shout out to **Hikari123 **and a VERY big thank you to **Prince of Pride**, I appreciate his enthusiasm for this story. Now for the rest of you, you can vent your anger or sadness out by reviewing! And to those of you who are reading and not reviewing a shame on you! I don't bite...unless asked to._

**Edit: 12/10/10**


	10. Letting Go

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

**Change Arc**

Chapter Ten: Letting go

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The look on his dad's face would haunt Tanabi forever.

Tanabi thought it would be the tears streaming down his father's face when he came upon the dead bodies of Simba, the two cheetahs, and the half dead body of his own daughter. He thought would be the roar that his father let out in sadness as he checked for survivors. When he found Tanabi crying softly underneath his grandfather's paw; Kovu made a face of absolute hopeless. It was almost as if something had died in him. He swiftly turned away from Tanabi's pleading eyes and gently scooped his slowly dying daughter in his mouth.

"We have to get out of here Tanabi," Kovu murmured softly; his voice on the edge of breaking.

No, _are you doing okay son_? Or any questions of _what happened here_? Just an empty order that Tanabi knew not to argue with. The brown cub grunted as he sat up, a sharp pain shot through his hind leg from where one of the cheetahs had bitten him. More cuts and lacerations that Tanabi didn't know where there started to flare up as well and he felt the overwhelming urge to pass out. But he continued to follow after his Dad despite the intense pain he was under.

The way his father carried himself as they walked back home was unnerving to Tanabi. His dad wasn't crying anymore, there was _no _emotion on his face. Kovu kept on moving like it was his sole duty in life, not even acknowledging his son who was sobbing his eyes out in silence. The young prince started to feel more light headed and exhausted. Everything became such a blur to him that he couldn't even remember making it back to Pride Rock.

()o()o()

"Kovu!"

Kiara was the first to run out of the mouth of Pride Rock, bounding towards her mate out of worry. The rest of the lionesses hung around apprehensively in the opening of the cave, waiting for their King to return.

"Did you find Tanabi?" Kiara gasped out in relief at first. Then she caught the pitiful bloody thing lodged in Kovu's mouth, unmoving. It was the shape of a cub.

It _was_ a cub. It was her daughter.

"OH MY GOD!" Kiara screamed in absolute horror, the only thing she could think of doing. She couldn't even form cohereant thoughts and the Queen looked at Kovu with wide, terrified eyes. "_WHAT HAPPENED_?"

Kovu didn't react to Kiara's outburst. He silently moved past her and the others into the den, putting down their daughter in the middle of the ground. The brown lion ignored the collective gasps of horror from the other lionesses, too wrapped up in his own daughter's survival to care.

"Where's Rafiki?" Kovu roared urgently.

"He's….he's coming…Timon and Pumbaa went after him!" Kiara cried out, her voice bordering on total hysteria as frustrated tears came to her hazel eyes. The Queen's mind and heart was in a total lockdown of panic. _How did this happen? Oh god, Ayira, please, please, baby hang on! _

It wasn't long until Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki came scrambling into the cave. The old shaman instantly cleared a path from everyone to the swallowly breathing Ayira. Ayira was a writhling mess, dark red blood coated her whole right side of her face and collected with the blood seeping from her neck. The incision around her right ear was so deep that soft tissue could be seen. The mandrill quickly began working on her by murmuring a few prayers for the young cub, praying desperately to soothe her agonizing pain and hoping that the great spirits above wouldn't take her as one of their own. He immediately cracked a gourd open from his staff and rubbed the clear juice on Ayira's inflictions, igniting pain laced shrieks from her.

Kiara started to sob heavily and loudly as she heard Ayira suffering, frightening the other lionesses around her and possibly Ayira herself. Kovu pulled his mate into a tight embrace, allowing her to bury her head into his dark mane. He didn't want Kiara to have to see anymore of it and the young King couldn't think he could handle anymore. The dark lion murmured a few words in Kiara's ear to which she looked up at him hesitantly before nodding. The two monarchs left the cave to go sit outside, unable to control their emotions any longer and the rest of the pride quickly followed suit.

Tanabi was the only one who remained in the cave, with a very dazed look on his face. His mind and the whole world around him in a whirl. All he knew was the painful screams of his twin sister struggling to live.

"Get out of there Tanabi," Kovu called out to his son.

Upon hearing his father calling him, Tanabishook his head, trying to clear the fuzziness of his vision. His head was pounding as he tried to walk outside, but suddenly everything sounded very muted and every color blurred into each other. His legs locked up and he fell over, blackness taking over everything. With a resounding thud, he fell on his side, unconscious.

The last thing he heard was a frantic female scream of "_TANABI!_!" and the sound of movement towards him.

()o()o()

Tanabi slowly and painfully opened his eyes, noticing that it had fallen dark in the cave. He was curled up snugly next to Nala, who was looking intently at the figures of his parents and Rafiki. He wanted to say something or move, but he was afraid to open his mouth of the fear of throwing up. His head was still painfully throbbing like a beaten drum, but it was duller now than before. He only caught parts of the whispered conversation between his parents and Rafiki.

_"Dis is all I can do for now," _

_"..But, what if she doesn't wake up?" _

_"Den you hafta let anoder take de drone." _

_"No! I am _not_ going to let him rule! It's his fault all of this happened!"_

_"Kovu! How can you even say that? That is your son you're talking about!" _

Tanabi coughed as he managed to sit up, his ribcage burning. This caught the attention of his mother who ran to his side in an instant.

"Tanabi!" Kiara exclaimed happily as she nuzzled him, her voice sounded weary and tired but relieved nonetheless, "I thought that we almost lost you. Don't _ever _scare us like that again!"

Nala licked Tanabi gently on his cheek, "Are you okay? You really scared us."

The white lioness had been studying her grandson while he regained consciousness; aside from some cuts here and there, Tanabi _looked _physically fine. It was the emotional stress that got her worried. Another thing that had gotten Nala worried was Simba's absence, where could he have gotten off to?

"I'm fine grandma," Tanabi reassured her in a gravelly voice, he had lost most of it from pleading with Masozi earlier and crying when his grandfather died. Inside, he was no where near fine.

He was unbelievably angry and hurt, the brown cub wanted to cry or shout at anyone but was unable to do so. Tanabi realized that his father hadn't said a single word to him, the reddish brown lion had just sat there stubbornly with his back turned to his family, his head bowed. Tanabi blinked, a feeling of complete and utter dread washing over his body. Was his father angry with him? He wouldn't doubt it, but he had to say something. It was eating him up inside that his father wouldn't even look at him.

Putting on the bravest face he could muster, Tanabi took a deep gulp before speaking, _Here goes nothing. _

"Dad, are you angry with me?" Tanabi questioned with a weak, quivering voice.

"Of course I am angry with you!" Kovu snapped, his voice hard with anger, "Why don't you listen to me Tanabi? _Huh_? I told you not to be anywhere near that damned rhino and what do you do?"

Kovuroared furiously at his son as he spun around, his green eyes flashing dangerously, making the scar on his eye more threatening. Tanabi jumped at this sudden burst of anger that his father just displayed and Kovu growled even more, "Oh! _Now_ you want to listen after you _fucked up_!"

"Kovu!" Kiara gasped as she stood protectively in between her mate and her son. She snarled up at Kovu, "Leave him alone! Can't you see he's been through enough?"

"No, Kiara. He has to be punished for his actions," Kovu spat viciously, his eyes burning holes into Tanabi's frightened red ones."You know because of _your_ disobedience, your grandfather is _dead _and your twin sister is in a _coma _fighting for her life!"

"Simba's dead?" Nala cried out in utter disbelief, "It _can't_ be true! It just _can't_ be!"

The white lioness walked up to Kovu, searching his face desperately, hoping to find some tell-tale signs that he was lying or at the very least playing a very cruel joke. But when Kovu was unable to meet her gaze and turned his head away; she knew it was true. A soft sob escaped her mussle as warm tears lined her eyes.

_I__t can't be true! _Nala tried telling herself before she let out the most heart-wrenching cry that Tanabi had ever heard in his whole entire life. Nala fell to the ground and started sobbing heavily.

_No Daddy, _Kiara thought sorrowfully as she felt tears trickling down her cheeks.

The sight of her mother who was always _so _strong, breaking down and crying like a lost cub was heart breaking. Kiara threw her forelegs around her mother, trying to alleviate the pain, but Kiara soon found herself consumed in her own sorrows and she was sobbing heavily as well. Even Rafiki had found himself tearing up. The other lionesses that had just entered the cave after catching the meal for the night looked on in shock, some of them shaking their heads in sadness while most of them were crying. For the pridelanders it was like losing a part of them, the outlandersfound themselves losing a leader and a kind lion. How would they handle losing Simba?

"I'm sorry!" Tanabi cried out, choking on his own sobs. He never felt so low. He had never been so ashamed of himself but he had to let his father know that he was sorry. His father would understand, wouldn't he? Wouldn't he? "_I'm sorry! I'm sorry_!"

"Sorry isn't good enough Tanabi!" Kovu roared again, looking like he was about to smack his son. "Because of _you_, your grandfather is dead and your sister is dying! No amount of saying sorry will change anything!_ It's your fault!_!"

Tanabi shut his eyes, trying to block out his father's hateful words but he couldn't. Each word cut into him and each one hurt more than the first. He just wanted to shrink and crawl under a rock, never to be seen again.

Finally, something shut his father up. It was Vitani, who had smacked Kovu clear across the face. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gaped at the two siblings.

"Shut up Kovu! Just _shut _up!" Vitani demanded scathingly, visibly shaking with anger." What is the matter with you? You know _full well_ that _none _of this is Tanabi's fault! It was an accident, pure and simple! You're starting to sound just like mother!" Vitani spat as she said those last words, never wavering, her blue eyes daring Kovu to prove her wrong.

The dark brown lion stood in stunned silence. Memories of the confrontation between his mother and her hate filled words echoed throughtout his mind.

_You cannot escape it, Nuka's dead because of you! _

_NO..._

_You've KILLED your own brother!_

_NOOOOOO!_

Kovu looked down at his whimpering son who looked up at him with so much terror and sadness in his eyes that it broke Kovu's heart. What was he _thinking, _blaming Tanabi for everything, it wasn't his fault. The sole realization that scared Kovu was that if Vitani hadn't snapped him out of his rage, he would have probably went further and did even more damage to his son. He wanted to hold his son close to him and apologize but he fouund that he couldn't even touch him, he didn't deserve to touch his son after what he did. Pure tears of remorse and shame welled up in his eyes and the next thing everything knew he was whimpering like a broken cub, eventually letting out mournful cries.

Vitani sneered at him, whatever pity she had for him was evaporated that very minute. She then looked at her mate Otien and then to her broken nephew before continuing, "Tanabi, I think it would be better for all of us if you would stay with me and your uncle Otien for tonight." Not waiting for an answer and fully knowing she wasn't going to get one, Vitani gently nudged Tanabi with a warm smile.

Taking a big sniff, Tanabi got to his paws and followed after his aunt. He couldn't bear to look at his dad any longer, the sight of his idol breaking down into sobs was heart wrenching. And it was all his fault. His dad was hurting because of him.

OooO

That night was very rough for Tanabi. His aunt Vitani and Uncle Otien constantly tried to reassure their nephew by telling him that they loved him, _very _much, and that if he got any nightmares to just wake them. While it made him feel somewhat better, it didn't erase the words Kovu screamed at him. It didn't erase the violent images of the attack imprinted in the young prince's mind. Everyone had drifted off to sleep and Tanabi sat up, staring at the black ceiling while snuggling up next to Vitani and Jelani.

_Why are you hurting my friends?_

_!I'm glad you are okay, huh Tanabi?_

_I'm glad you are okay. It's okay Tanabi, it's okay. _

The last thought made Tanabi break down into more sobbing. He couldn't help himself as he put his paws over his head, letting his emotions out.

_It's not okay grandpa! It'll never be okay! _Tanabi thought angrily at his grandfather's last words to him. _Damn! Why did you have to leave? _

Tanabi felt so and utterly alone. Now that the pride knew about his mistake, did they hate him as well? There was no doubt in his mind, if his own Dad hated him, what would stop the pride? He was a murderer even in his mother's eyes.

Tanabi shook his head frantically and then looked into the dim light from the edge of Pride Rock. He knew what he had to do.

Tanabi only took a couple of mintues to say good bye to his aunt, uncle and Jelani, thanking them for their kindness. Next it was his own parents; he gave both of his parents a loving lick good bye. Seeing the sleeping form of his father, sleeping peacefully, brought tears to his eyes again. He never could hate his father for what he said, all he felt was hurt and anger but the strongest emotion of all was love. As he came to his twin sister, who was breathing raggidly and irregualrly, he felt a huge lump was caught in his throat.

_You always said my wild ways would be the end of me, _Tanabi laughed inwardly as he tenderly rubbed a paw over his sleeping sister. _I guess you were right...I'll miss you sis, you have to live, not for me, but for mom and dad. I'm sorry that I put you through all of this. _

Tanabi stopped touching his sister and stared out into the bright light of the moon, its welcoming brightness comforting him. After he took his first step out into the night, he never turned back.

Prince Tanabi was no more.

**End of Part One **

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones**

* * *

_WHOOO! IT's OVA!...well not completely over just part one! I wanna give out a great big thank-you to **Prince of Pride**, **HiddenMusic **and **Hikari 123 **for being so involved in this story! I am touched! Anywho, Part Two will be coming up pretty soon. But I'm not going to spoil anything for you. If you guys want, vote for your favorite cub on my profile and the winning cub will get an extra chapter deticated to just them. Oh yeah, before I forget REVIEW!_

**Edit: 10/21/10**


	11. The Rogue

**The Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

**Wanderer Arc**

Chapter Eleven: The Rogue**  
**

* * *

Darkness was all around him. It was a comforting place to be for once. Like all moments of peace, however, it didn't last long as tiny rays of light interrupted the darkness. Stirring tiredly, he found that from his muzzle down to his hind paws were numb and heavy with sleep. He didn't _want_ to get up. It was too much work.

Suddenly, his senses went berserk. The scent of another that wasn't there before invaded his nostrils. He pricked up his ears for any sort of noise, but all he could make out were faint murmurs and the sound of slight movement. They started to steadily get louder as the scent got stronger and more pervasive.

"…Be careful. We don't know how he'll react," cautioned a female voice.

He tensed. The scent started to mix with another one. He lied there in his darkness, waiting to see if the strangers would leave before he would strike.

"Don't worry mom, I will," another feminine voice, obviously younger, reassured the first one. He felt this one move even closer to him as the air around him shifted. He felt a light yet hesitant brush against his face. The young voice spoke to him gently, "Hey, hey, wake up."

In an instant, Tanabi's eyes snapped open. The harsh waving sun shot into his vision and he squinted against the light, snarling fiercely at the lioness standing over him. Before she could think to blink, he lashed out. The ex prince knocked her flat on her back, pinning her with everything he had. He _knew_ better than to let anyone get distance on him. She tried to struggle against Tanabi's weight, letting out terrified gasps but he slammed his paw onto her throat tightly, cutting off her air supply. He continued to snarl down at her as he lifted his right paw, ready to finish the job. It was either kill or be killed, there was no mercy, no second chances.

"Stop! Please stop!"

Tanabi broke out of his trance, whipping his head around to meet lock eyes with another lioness. This one wasn't a threat in his mind. She was scruffy and elderly looking, fur the color of dark caramel while her muzzle and paws were like dirt. The lioness stood away from him defensively, shaking.

"Please calm down," she told him nervously. "We don't mean you any harm. You're safe here."

He studied her for any sudden movements, any signs of her lying to him. He didn't want to take the chance of getting attacked but he eventually get off the lioness he had pinned down. The younger lioness after launching herself into a coughing fit quickly scrambled away from him and to her savior's side in horror.

"Naima, are you okay?" the older lioness asked concerned, checking for any signs of injuries, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'm fine, mom," grated Naima. She tried to shoot a glare at Tanabi, despite the fact that she was obviously shaken by what he did to her. "Are you slow in the head? You _can't_ sleep out here, you'll _fry_ to death!"

"Naima…please…" her mother shushed her when Tanabi let out a low growl in retaliation. The lioness turned her attention to the teenage lion and gave a weak smile, "I'm very sorry if we woke you from your nap. We had thought you had fainted and we couldn't've possibly left you in this heat."

"Thanks," he said cautiously. Tanabi didn't want to admit it but he _had_ fainted from heat exhaustion and his head was throbbing like a drum. Not seeing the point in wasting anymore time with talking to the two lionesses, he turned to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" the younger lioness called to him curiously, "Out there's nothing but desert."

The brown lion found himself stopping and flicking his tail in slight irritation. _Damn, just what I need. More desert._ He shifted his paws, turning to the mother and daughter. Tanabi wanted to avoid having a conversation with anyone, but it looked like karma wasn't going to be kind to him.

"...Then if that's the case, can you take me to your pride?" the ex prince spoke up quietly almost flatly.

Naima snorted amusedly, "You just tried to kill me and you expect us to help you out _again_? Boy, you must've lost your everlasting mind."

_And you're making fun of someone who can and will finish the job. You're about as idiotic as I am apparently. _Tanabi thought dully, sighing inwardly. It was worth a try. Nobody was going to stick their neck out for a rogue.

"Please don't listen to my daughter. We're more than willing to take you to our king, I'm sure Kufuru will understand," Naima's mother replied gently, trying to be helpful. Before Naima could protest, her mother held up a paw to silence her.

Tanabi was surprised but didn't show it in the slightest. _They're actually going to let me come with them..?_ He nodded tiredly, "I really appreciate it. Thank you."

"It's no problem," the elderly lioness told him with a warm smile. She looked up at the sky for a moment, a small frown coming to her mussle. "Well, we should start getting a move on. The sun's already high and I want to beat the sandstorms before they start. I would advise you to keep a close distance to us, if you manage to get lost, we won't be able to find you."

"Alright," the brown lion said as they started to walk.

"By the way, I don't believe we've truly met," Naima's mother said politely. "I'm Nyarai and I'm sure you already know my daughter, Naima."

"Pleeased to meetcha!" the weird lioness slurred cheerfully, extending a slender paw to Tanabi. He raised an eyebrow at her. What exactly did she want him to do to it? Shake it, slap it or kiss it? He sure as hell wasn't going to kiss it and he really wanted to slap her paw away from him but kept his urges to himself. Naima looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say more.

"The name's Gwala," Tanabi lied curtly. Naima wrinkled up her nose and drew her paw back in confusion.

"Gwala? You must've had some really cruel parents to name you _that_. What a weird name!"

"_Naima_!" Nyarai exclaimed in shock, glaring at her daughter. "Have some tact in front of our guest for once!"

Tanabi once again sighed tiredly to himself. It was going to be a long, very boring, journey to wherever their pride was. He hoped that Naima would be the only annoying thing that he would encounter in the desert today.

OooO

In hindsight, the ex prince wish he could have took his hopes back. The desert itself was the most frustrating thing he had _ever_ encountered in his travels. And while Naima was the only other head banging against a tree level of annoyance, Tanabi figured that was just the ancient kings' way of picking on him.

He had sand in every hole he could think of, he could feel it all in his fur and mane. The hot sand underneath his paws shifted too easy and was often deeper than he thought, so he would trip clumsily over himself. His poor mouth felt glued shut from the lack of water and the worst was the fact that his mane was irritatingly clingy to his face. His new found 'friend', the sun, beat down on him relentlessly and maliciously.

The desert just never, _ever, _seemed to end. Tanabi just assumed that he was going crazy because of the heat and it would have been much easier to bare if Naima would shut up. The ex-prince tried his hardest to ignore her, but she babbled on and on about complete nonsense. He wasn't even sure that Naima was aware that he was paying her no mind.

"…And I said to him: if you want to eat, you can just go out and catch something yourself. I mean, hunting isn't even _that_ hard_. _But I can say that 'cause I'm, like, a lioness. You seem like a big enough lion, do you hunt by yourself? I betcha do…_Hey_! Are you even _paying _attention to me?"

Tanabi resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "No. I'm not"

"You're so anti social," Naima pointed out in annoyance, flicking her tail back and forth idly. "I bet you can't even say more than three words. You haven't said a thing since we've been walking and that's been _ages_ ago! Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

_Did yours? _Tanabi thought to himself sarcastically as she jumped in front of him. The ex-prince growled at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. _You know, you'd be more attractive if you kept your trap shut. _

He had to admit, he had studied Naima while they were walking and he liked what he saw. The lioness had an off white pelt, almost a very yellow color while her mussle and paws were as pure as snow. She had retained some of her cubbish attributes like her round cheeks and big innocent violet eyes, coupled with the tuft of fur on top of her head; in a way, she was very cute. So cute that Tanabi knew he would hit that like the fist of an angry god if given the chance...but her personality was just _so_ obnoxious.

"I am going to get you to talk!" Naima retorted to which Tanabi glared right back. _Females_. "First off, you're not like any lion I've every seen in my life! I have _never_ seen a brown lion, much less one with an orange mane! What kind of kooky crazy land _do_ you come from?"

"I come from a place where the sun doesn't shine," he replied sarcastically and dully, lightly brushing past the lioness. She scoffed.

"Bet you do, it's _so _obvious," Naima wrinkled her nose up playfully. "Just my luck, we finally stumble upon someone else in Jabari knows how long and he just happens to be the whole dark and moody type. You're not even _that_ cute, so don't try and play the tough guy on us."

"Naima, be nice," Nyarai reprimanded her daughter, she seemed to be enjoying the interaction between her daughter and the rogue by the way she was shaking her head amusedly. She cocked her head at Tanabi and studied him, "But I'm also curious. If you don't mind me asking…Where's your family, Gwala? You seemed a bit young to be out on your own."

_Not really…I'm almost a year now..._Tanabi scoffed under his breath. He wondered how she considered him 'young' when he was a full head taller than her. The teenage prince took after his mother's side of the gene pool, he had already started to fill out with lean muscle and if he would have grown up in the pride lands, he would have easily been about his father's size. Instead, he was slender and covered from dirt and grime from head to tail, small scars from fights and skirmishes covered his young body. His short reddish orange mane was unkempt and tangled but Tanabi didn't care for personal appearance that much, if anyone was bothered by his mangy look, they would get over it.

They finally came upon what the ex prince assumed to be their lands and the mother and daughter became uncomfortably silent. It wasn't much to look at; it was just a collection of small rocks and boulders littered across the ground, some of the larger stones looked like they had been leaned in together to form makeshift shelters. A few dirty lionesses lied around lazily in various areas until they picked their heads up in alarm as soon as they locked eyes with the strange new lion their pride sisters had brought back.

"...Is this supposed to be some sort of joke..?" one of the younger ones spoke up nervously, almost in a whisper," What is he doing _here_, Nyarai? Who is he?"

"Don't be frightened, Bahati," Nyarai told her gently. "I'll explain it all soon. Can you find Kufuru for me and tell him it's urgent?"

The lioness didn't waste any time in doing what she was told. Tanabi shifted uneasily, he didn't like what was going on but brushed it out of his mind. Of course they would be afraid of him, he knew the infamous reputation rogues had. How they were supposed to be murderous and completely selfish. He probably couldn't change their minds and he didn't want to, he just wanted a night to be safe for once.

Another lioness ran up to them with a cub in tow, her brown face stony with worry. "What were you thinking, mom? Bringing him here?" the lioness hissed with an abnormally deep voice, looking around them in fear, "Kufuru's going to have _your_ head! He's going to have _all_ our heads!"

The murmurs from the rest of the pride started to get louder and frantic as everyone whipped their heads around to find two lions and a lioness appearing out of one of the makeshift shelters. _So this must be his highness, Kufuru. _Tanabi mused anxiously to himself, shifting more uncomfortably. He didn't like the dark atmosphere that was starting to form in the air and if the way Naima was starting to shield herself behind Tanabi was any indication, it was about to get worse.

"Yeah, that big one there's Kufuru," the light colored lioness almost spat, her ears flattening to her skull. "He's someone you don't wanna mess with...Gwala, I don't like how he's looking at you."

_Now you tell me. _The ex prince bit back a snarl, what was with this lion that made his pride so afraid of him? Tanabi wasn't going to run, it was way too late for that. If he even tried to turn his back on the so called king now, they would obviously go at him in pursuit, he had been in this situation before. No, he was just going to stand his ground, he had a better chance at surviving.

The king was a large charcoal colored lion, bigger than how Tanabi remembered his own father being. He had a thick billowing mane of blackness and carried himself with such an strong, controlled manner that even Tanabi knew he was going to be an aggressive threat.

"Nyarai. My dear Nyarai," Kufuru singled out Naima's mother with fake politeness. "Where is the food I asked you to get? Don't tell me that you failed your king again?"

The elderly lioness bowed at his paws, slightly trembling. "I apologize, we were unable to find anything, sire."

He slowly smirked, "Is that so? It seems to me that you and your daughter managed to scrounge up something after all," his gaze dropped to Tanabi, who was currently scowling at him. "Nothing but trash, but I digress..."

"My name is Gwala," Tanabi spoke up as Kufuru raised an eyebrow at the adolescent's brazenness, "It is my fault that they were unable to complete their task and I apologize for that. I humbly ask to join your pride."

"You want to join our pride?" A voice cried out, it belonged to a smaller lion that looked a bit like Kufuru except he was scrawny and mangier. "You just disrespected our king!"

"Kato, please. I find this young one intriguing," Kufuru replied with an amused smirk on his face as he looked Tanabi up and down." The kid has spirit, I'll give him that much. But I wonder why a Pride lander want to join us?"

Tanabi's eyes widened in shock and Kufuru's smirk deepened, "Don't look _too_ surprised. News travels fast. I remember seeing a lion around here not to long ago. Later, I learned that he had become King of the Pridelands, now what was his name….?"

Kufuru tapped his chin lightly before smirking again, "Ah! I know now, his name was Simba! You know I had learned that most royalty in the Pride lands wind up rebelling against their own family. And you bear a resemblance to Simba; you two couldn't possibly be _related_ by any chance?"

"No," Tanabi replied icily as a memory of his grandfather passed through his mind, he mentally shook it out.

"That's fine then," Kufuru replied, "Welcome to the pride, Gwala, we have needed a strong male." Tanabi bowed, a gentle wave of relief rolling over him. He didn't actually believe he was getting off scotch free.

Kufuru turned to his pride and smiled," My friends, let us retire for the night and honor our new member of the pride. "

* * *

_And that's the end of Chapter 11. I had fun writing this, especially with the introduction of my new characters and I have been anticipating writing them for the longest time now. Next chapter you will meet the rest of this pride and let's just say the lions in this pride are…unique to say the least, especially a certain promiscuous cub ^^. I can't really think of a name for my new pride tho, .if anybody has any suggestions, feel free to let me know. Oh a shout out to __**HiddenMusic, Hikari 123, Prince of Pride **__and __**Poefreak **__for reviewing! _

_Names:_

_Nyarai: Humility _

_Naima: Esctasy_

_Gwala: Coward _

_Kufuru: Mockery _

_Kato: Same _


	12. The Shadow Pride

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

**Wanderer's Arc**

Chapter Twelve: Shadow Pride

* * *

After another few hours of walking, Tanabi and the Shadow Pride had finally chosen a good enough place to rest for the night. It was slowly getting dark outside, as the vast sky above them was turning a dark blue color up above. Everyone had sat in a little circle huddled together from the slight chill in the air, which disturbed Tanabi a bit. How did it get so cold so quickly?

He sighed slightly, the ex-Prince hoped to get out of the god-forsaken desert very soon. Tanabi didn't think he could handle such annoying changes.

The two lionesses who managed to get a kill for the day began to split their catch within the pride. As it came to Nyarai's turn, Kufuru swiftly snarled, catching the two off guard.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kufuru demanded of the lionesses," She didn't bring anything. Don't pity her."

"I'm…I'm sorry my highness," one lioness stumbled on her words hesitantly before chalking this up as a loss. She gave Nyarai a sympathetic look before giving Naima the last piece, returning to her spot.

Tanabi glanced at the worn out Nyarai with a frown on his mussle. _That's kind of messed up, _Tanabi thought to himself _Even I got something and I'm the new one around here. _

He shook his head, he should have been grateful to Kufuru for his kindness, not questioning any of his methods. The next thing he knew, everybody had bowed their heads and closed their eyes over their pieces of meat, including Kufuru. Naima nudged him in the side roughly, glaring at him.

"_Bow_ _already_," she muttered angrily out of the side of her mouth.

Tanabi snorted before closing his eyes. He waited as Kufuru started to talk, keeping one eye open for boredom's sake.

"Thank you Jabari for this plentiful meal and for allowing us to live for another day," Kufuru replied. The other lionesses repeated after him in hushed tones." Please continue to bless us with your good will, your wisdom and protection. Let us follow your will and forgive Nyarai for her transgressions against you. Asante."

"Asante."

With that, they opened their eyes and started eating. Watching the pride dig in, King Kufuru and his lackey Kato left to survey the area.

_So they're overly religious too. Damn, does anybody _not _believe in the circle of life these days? _Tanabi asked himself, eyeing the pride weirdly. Praying to an invisible force never made sense to the teenage lion. Why praise someone that you couldn't even see? It was like thanking water, it wasn't going to talk back to you, so what was the point?

Tanabi shrugged. He wasn't going to spend any more time on abstract thinking when he could be shutting up his complaining stomach. Taking a precautionary sniff at the piece of meat in front of him, he tore into it as quick as he could. The brown lion ripped into the meat, slicing the skin completely off the bone in an instant. Before continuing, he caught Nyarai and Naima watching him with wide eyes. Nyarai laughed amusedly at Tanabi's voracity while Naima looked on in disgust.

"Wow. You really are feral," Naima remarked with no small amount of disgust."Slow down, nobody is gonna take it from you."

Tanabi gulped down the meat in his mouth, ignoring her. The ex-Prince hadn't eaten within the past couple of days. If his lack of manners made him feral, Naima would just have to shut up and deal with it. He continued to claw and gnaw on his meal in a frenzy, earning more quips of protest from her.

"Aww. Leave the guy alone, Naima," an elderly lioness chided a wry smile on her mussle. "He's growing and it's in a lion's nature to be a little messy."

The old lioness was a thin grey colored lioness with dark grey on her mussle, paws and stomach. Much like the other Shadow Pride lionesses, her ears were ruffled on top. She had long chin hair and dark spots were also present on each side of her mussle. The elderly lioness had ice blue eyes, their pupils barely visible and wrinkles were met around her eyes and nose.

"Oh, come off it. You know all you want to do is flirt with poor Gwala," Her companion beside her grinned knowingly. She was a dark tangerine colored lioness with a brown mussle and stomach, her eyes was a light shade of green. Turning to Tanabi, she added, "If I were _you,_ hon, I'd sleep with one eye open because when Eshe's feeling frisky…"

Her sharp voice was cut off from Eshe putting a paw over her mouth. The orange lioness playfully rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Shut up, Iman. Just because I like to have a little fun now and then, doesn't mean I'll jump at_ every_ young lion." Eshe shot back impulsively, earning another snicker from Iman who returned to eating her meal.

Tanabi shifted awkwardly at this and pretended that he didn't hear a word of their conversation. What could be worse than the thought of elderly lionesses…talking about their activities.

"…So. Gwala?" another lioness perked up with a very deep voice. The brown lion instinctively cringed; her voice was _deeper_ than his. "You never said anything about where you are from. I'm Gunju by the way."

The ex-Prince stared at her, _if_ you could call her that, in open confusion. The lioness looked rather muscular and bigger than average, but the soft look of her light brown pelt took off some of her masculine edge, but not much. Gunju, no doubt, had the face of a lion with excess whiskers and what looked to be the start of a tuft.

_Lionesses don't have those…_ Tanabi thought to himself confusedly. Averting his eyes in order to stop being so rude, he quickly added a small. "No ma'am, I didn't."

Beside him, Naima loudly burst into a fit of laughter.

"Oh! That's priceless!" Naima laughed, pointing at the fuming lion who was clearly offended that Tanabi called him "ma'am". "Ha! I _told_ your ass that you _looked _like a lioness! Didn't I?"

"_You're a guy_?" Tanabi rudely blurted out, backing away as soon as he put two and two together," There's _no_ way! How could you be a lion looking like that?"

Gunju growled as the rest of the pride laughed light heartedly at Tanabi's horror.

"I'm just a late bloomer that's all!"

"Late bloomer? Yeah right! You're _older_ than Gwala and you still haven't grown in your mane!" Naima wheezed, still laughing hysterically, wiping the tears from her eyes." God, Gwala, you shoulda seen the _look_ on your face!"

"You have no room to talk, Naima," Gunju threatened the light colored lioness," Look at yourself for once! You have all the forehead fur in the world to make us both manes. I'm surprised Gwala has stopped looking at that big forehead of yours."

Naima stopped laughing and narrowed her lilac eyes," 'Cuse me? Do you wanna say it to my face?"

"Would you two stop it already?" Nyarai roared at her grown cubs, shutting them up." Look how you are acting in front of our guest, its embarrassing. I _know_ I raised you better than this." Nyarai then turned to the ex-Prince, bowing her head apologetically. "I'm sorry for any trouble, Gwala."

"It's fine." Tanabi replied.

The siblings' argument had left him feeling nostalgic. He remembered how he and Ayira used to fight over the most stupid things. The brown lion never thought that he'd find miss his older annoying sister and found himself wondering what she was up to now, if she was even alive.

_No, don't think about the Pride lands, _Tanabi told himself angrily, shoving the useless thoughts aside. He wanted nothing more to do with his family, he didn't need them anymore. Tanabi was a full grown rogue, which meant that any ties he once had were cut long ago. He struggled and fought for his survival out on his own, there was no way he could turn back now.

Tanabi would have to live with the guilt forever, he knew that. Even if he allowed himself to feel homesick, even if Ayira was alive this day waiting for him to return home…the place he once felt safe would be marred by the memories of the attack. If he went home, who would welcome him back? His father and probably his mother, hated him for the accident, no matter how much it wasn't Tanabi's fault. The pride wouldn't want anything to do with a cowardly fallen prince who couldn't stay around to own up to his own mistake. Tanabi left that faithful night to fix things, it was his choice to run away on his own terms and he had to stick with it. No matter how much it hurt.

Naima picked up on his dark mood and she looked at him with sympathetic eyes.

"Gwala? Are you okay?" she asked softly, shaking him out of his thoughts.

The brown lion resisted the urge to shout he wasn't okay and he would never be okay, but he only nodded wordlessly. He wasn't idiotic enough to think that telling a complete stranger about his past would clear things up. Taking this as a sign, Naima smiled and cheerfully returned to whatever she was talking about.

Excusing himself from the pride, Tanabi wandered a short distance and laid down in the sand. He watched them the whole night, with cold uncaring eyes, as he struggled internally with his demons.

OooO

The next morning was unwelcomed one as far as Tanabi was concerned. The Shadow Pride had woken up early, ready to move on to their next destination. One of the lionesses had been unfortunate enough to try and wake Tanabi from his sleep just like Naima had done the day before. Before Tanabi could begin another assault, Naima was able to snap the ex-Prince from his personal fight.

Tiredly and still very anxious from the night terror, Tanabi followed the rest of the Shadow Pride deeper into the desert lead by Kufuru. Most of the time, everybody was pretty quiet during their journey except for the younger cubs who complained about the long walk. Even Tanabi was pretty confused about this arrangement, just _where_ were they going exactly? He sincerely hoped that they were going back to their home, where ever it was, because he was sick of the desert.

When it was mid-morning, the pride had taken a little break. Tanabi was grateful for this and he sat down in the hot sand in relief.

"What's wrong, Gwala? Don't tell me you are tired already?" Naima asked with her usually cheerful smile on her mussle as she licked her paw. "You remind me of Gunju, only you don't whine half as much."

"Funny. Did you come up with that one all on your own?" Gunju replied sarcastically as he sprawled out onto the hot sand, burying his face in it in exasperation. "I am so tired of the desert! When are we getting out of here?" he complained.

"Would you stop whining? If you going to be a lion, at least act like it," Naima retorted with the air of someone who had explained herself one too many times. "Kufuru said that it would take at least another three days." she smirked as Tanabi and Gunju both let out a collective sigh.

"Is your home some place close?" Tanabi asked as he picked out the sand from his mane with a frown before giving up.

"Home?" Naima and Gunju asked curiously.

"…Uh yeah...Y'know? The place where you live?"

"We don't have one," Naima replied, making the brown lion frown questioningly."Our pride has been wandering for a long time now. It is what our ancestors started and now we are supposed to follow. We are looking for the Promised Land, a place where pure water runs endlessly and the land is always green. Sadly, nobody has found it yet and our ancestors have died trying to look."

"There's such a place?" Tanabi asked curiously, his attention now grabbed. His mind cruelly whispered that it sounds like they want to take over the Pride lands but he quickly shut his mind up.

Naima laughed a little."According to the prophecy, they say that each generation of king leads us closer to the promised land," Her lilac eyes slowly darkened and she started to tense. "This time Eshe, our prophet, is really sure that Kufuru will be the one to do it. But looking at us now, I'm not sure. The twleve of us are the last of our pride."

"Last? What happened to the others?"

The off colored lioness opened her mouth but stubbornly shut it and averted her eyes, barely concealing a sense of anger in them. The sudden change in Naima's whole face took Tanabi aback; he wouldn't have expected such a reaction from a cheerful lioness like her.

Gunju also had a frown on his mussle, but he didn't drop his gaze,"It doesn't matter, we're forbidden to talk about it. But as long as we are under King Kufuru's guidance, we'll make it through."

"Yeah, we'll get by. No matter who's lost," Naima remarked distantly, as she pawed at the ground. She then tried a half hearted attempt at a laugh and straightened up. "But like Gunju said, it doesn't matter! It doesn't matter. We have you now as part of the pride and that's great. I know we really sounded weird...so are you sure you wanna get stuck with us?"

As cryptic and disturbingly vague their statements were, Tanabi shrugged. He figured the worst that had happened was a death in their past that made the two overly sensitive and if they say it didn't matter, he wasn't going to push it. Besides he had nowhere else to call home, at least now he didn't have to fight fang and claw to just survive.

"Listen up everyone!" Kufuru demanded as everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to listen to their King."Today we will be changing the hunting parties around. Gwala, you will be with Naima and Fahari. Gunju will accompany Imani and Eshe. Nyarai will stay behind and take care of Chiumbo."

"What?" Naima cried out in shock, "Me and my mother have _always_ been in a hunting party together! Why is today any different?"

"Because your mother is obviously too incompetent to hunt," Kato sneered at the young lioness, "After your failure to bring anything back, it's obvious that you two don't need to be together. Gwala will keep you in line."

"Who asked you, Kato?" Naima snapped, the fur on her back rising up. Kato hissed at her angrily.

Nyarai put a paw on her daughter's shoulder and shook her head.

"Let it go, Naima." Nyarai warned, levelly and softly.

"No!" Naima shouted, "It's not fair. Why do you always blame everything on us? Me and mom always bring something back. We do more than our share for the pride and you know it Kufuru, we've done it long before _you_ became king! Eshe and Iman have only got a few kills in the space of a year and yet they get a slap on the wrist? What's the fairness in that?"

Kufuru's dark blue eyes flashed angrily and the next thing Tanabi knew, he backpawed the young lioness across the jaw, making her fall to the ground with a cry. Tanabi wanted to go to her aid, but held back. Any interference could mean he would have to deal with Kufuru as well. As much as he hated Kufuru's method of shutting Naima up, there was nothing he could do.

"Is this the thanks I get for allowing you to live among us?" Kufuru roared threateningly at Naima, "Is this the thanks I get for sparing your lives after your treacherous father brought us to ruin? Is it?"

When he got no response from Naima, he growled."That is what I thought. Let me tell you one thing, one more screw up and Jabari will inflict his divine punishment on you and your mother."

Naima hung her head in defeat as the King towered over her. Eventually he relented and let the lioness stagger to her paws without the aid of anyone. The atmosphere became very thick and silent as Kufuru looked among his subjects, daring them to speak out against him. His eyes locked on to Tanabi's and he quickly singled the adolescent out.

"Gwala!" he called out to the ex-Prince, who put on an impassive mask of obedience, one that told Kufuru the display didn't shock him in the slightest.

"Yes, my king."

"Keep her in line. We don't want today's incident to repeat itself."

"Of course."

* * *

_Wooh, Tanabi...just who are you hanging out with O_o? Anyways, I apologize for the almost double post but I already had this chapter typed up and plus I might not be able to update next week or the week after that because like I have said in my profile moving is a bitch. Next chapter we go back to Pride Rock and find out how the folks back there are coping with the change. It'll prolly surprise you. Another thing is the Wanderer's Arc will be the biggest arc yet so the quicker I get these chapters up, the quicker the plot will thicken. A big thanks to __**Hikari 123 **__for helping me name my new pride and __**Prince of Pride **__for being so interested in my story ^^! And for the rest of you jokers review. _

_Names:_

_Eshe: Life_

_Iman: Faith_

_Gunju: Wild Cat _

_Fahari: Pride _

**Edit: 11/5/10**


	13. Wounds That Won't Heal

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones **

**Part Two **

Chapter 13- Wounds That Won't Heal

* * *

_I'll miss you sis...you have to live, not for me but for mom and dad. I'm sorry that I put you through all of this_.

Ayira and Vitani circled each other in a deadly dance, eyes locked on their opponent, sweat beading on their foreheads. Ayira was careful not to show any weakness toward the older lioness; if she showed any sign that she was tired, the game would be over. Something flickered in Vitani's fierce blue eyes for a second and she smirked, letting out a deep guttural growl.

The next thing Ayira knew Vitani was charging for her. Ayira quickly assumed a fighting stance, then reared up on her hind legs, growling fiercely as she blocked the tawny lioness's paws, before putting her own paws on Vitani's back trying to push her down. No matter how healthy or fast Ayira was, Vitani would never give up. She was much stronger than Ayira was, despite her light frame, so it was natural that Vitani was able to push herself from out of Ayira's grasp. Vitani lashed out in retaliation, hitting her niece up under her chin before sweeping her off of her paws. Ayira landed with a hard thud to the ground as Vitani placed a strong paw on Ayira's neck, peering over Ayira with a grin.

"Had enough yet, _princess_?" Vitani asked with a slight chuckle as she allowed Ayira to get back on to her paws. The poor lioness looked confused as to what had happened.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Ayira groaned as she rubbed the back of her sore head, wincing.

"I've been doing this longer than you have, squirt," Vitani replied as she stretched out. "But you're getting a lot better, so don't worry. I'll make a warrior out of you yet."

"Thanks Aunt 'Tani," Ayira said with a half-hearted smile; despite her aunt's words, Ayira knew that it wasn't too true. Even with the last six months of training with Vitani, all Ayira could think of was how utterly exhausted she was and that she was still the same helpless little cub she was when Chakide and Bujune attacked her. The sparring matches made her feel like she was reliving the attack and each time she lost to Vitani. But she wasn't going to give up that quickly, she never wanted to feel that weak ever again.

Unbeknownst to Ayira, she already had a very powerful air about her. Ayira had grown a lot; she was slender just like her aunt Vitani, but the young lioness's muscular form was shown in her powerful legs. Her face had grown narrower but retained some of her mother's attributes making her look like a mix between her grandmother Zira and her mother Kiara. The horrific scars she had gotten during the fight had faded some, but was still very obvious they were there; two long scars extended from around her left ear down to the back of her head while a scar circled the left side of her neck. These scars would probably be with her for the rest of her life, a haunting reminder of what was lost.

"Ready for the next lesson?" Vitani asked her niece who nodded in determination. She put a foreleg around her niece's shoulder. "Okay this time we'll—" An excited squeal interrupted the two of them as a small cub came running towards Vitani, rubbing against her leg.

"Hi Mommy! Hi Ayiwa!" the little cub squeaked cheerfully as she beamed up at her mother and older cousin. She looked a bit like a female Kovu but with a lighter pelt and a tuft of fluff on her head the same color as her pelt. Her eyes were a dusty shade of blue.

"Shakire! What are you doing here? Wasn't your aunt Kiara supposed to be watching you?" Vitani asked in an amused tone as she nuzzled her daughter. "You haven't given her the slip, have you?"

"Nope! Aunty Kiawa said fat we should go home and fat she wanted to talk to you, Mommy," Shakire exclaimed with a cheerful grin, she then turned to her side. "Fere she is! Aunty Kiawa! Here's Mommy!" Kiara walked up to Vitani with an exhausted look on her face, and for good reason. Kiara was heavily pregnant with her third cub and it must have been a long way to get where Vitani was now. Ayira frowned; she knew that look on her mother's face and she didn't like it, there was something bothering her.

"Kiara are you okay?" Vitani asked as she walked over to her friend's side in concern, Kiara shook her head to dispel Vitani's worries.

"I'm fine, 'Tani. Really," Kiara replied with a weak smile. "Kovu needs you though, the cheetah leader Sheikh has made her way to the Pridelands."

"Sheikh again? That can't be good if the cheetah leader came all the way out here." Vitani commented softly as her eyebrows flew up in surprise. She turned around and started walking away. "Don't worry Kiara, I'll find Kovu."

Ayira watched her aunt with worry in her eyes and a bitter feeling in her mind. _Why do they keep on pressing this issue? Dad is only going to make it ten times worse. Why can't we just say sorry and put the past behind us?_ She snapped out of her thoughts when Kiara nudged her gently.

"Are you okay?" her mother asked her, her facial expressions an exact mirror of Ayira's. Ever since the death of her father and the sudden disappearance of Tanabi, Kiara was never the same again. The normally lively and bubbly Queen had slowly and painfully transformed into the morose, almost hopeless lioness before Ayira now. It was a surprise to Ayira that her mother hadn't burst into tears by now, but to be fair she was probably too tired to even care anymore. Ayira believed that her love for her father, Ayira and her unborn child was the only reason why she continued to go on with life.

"I'm fine." Ayira said reassuringly, trying to lessen her mother's worries. "I'm gonna go find Jelani and Kutu, is that okay?"

"I…don't know Ayira. What about Sheikh?" Kiara replied worriedly. "I just don't think it's safe for you to wander off by yourself."

"Mother, I'm not a little cub anymore," Ayira said patiently. A nasty sense of déjà vu came to her mind. How many times had Tanabi said this before he realized his limitations? Ayira stubbornly erased the thought from her mind. "I'm more than able to take care of myself. Aunt Vitani even taught me how to defend myself. I promise if I see any sign of danger, I'll come back to Pride Rock."

"Okay," Kiara said reluctantly after a moment's hesitation. She nuzzled her daughter. "Promise me that you'll take care of yourself."

"I will."

With that Ayira gave her mother a carefree smile as she ran off into the distance, but as soon as she couldn't see Pride Rock anymore, she slowed down her movements to a walk.

_Oh, don't you worry about me. I'm more than ready, I'm not the helpless little cub I was when they attacked_,Ayira thought darkly, a hardened look coming to her face.

Despite telling her mother that she was going to visit Kutu and Jelani, it was far from the truth. She was going to find her father and stop him before he did anything impulsive. And if it meant getting hurt or punished for this transgression, so be it. Ayira was not going to let the past haunt her anymore, that she was sure of.

* * *

When Vitani finally found Kovu, the lion king and the cheetah leader were already in the midst of talking lightly.

_I wonder what they're talkin' about? _thought Vitani as she sat beside her brother, focusing her full attention on the guest of honor . She kept her mouth shut; there was no need to judge the cheetah yet, and any slips of the tongue could make things rockier than it already was. This was one of the many meetings between the two leaders since the incident. Her claws were ever so extended, just in case the cheetah decided to do something sneaky. Kovu barely acknowledged her presence; instead he kept his gaze on the cheetah before him.

"Ah, it seems that you have brought an ally. A very wise choice my king," Sheikh purred. There was no trace or hint of sarcasm in her sweet voice. "Is this your mate, or am I mistaken?"

Vitani quirked an eyebrow at the cheetah. _Boy, have you got your lionesses' crossed_. If this was any other situation, Vitani would have laughed at this.

"Get to your point, Sheikh," Kovu said. "If you have nothing to say, you've wasted my time."

"Of course, my king." Sheikh bowed, her unassuming smile still on her face. "I like that in a leader, you know what you want and you go for it." She gently put her paw on Kovu's, only have him pull his paw back in annoyance and disgust. Shrugging her lithe shoulders, Sheikh continued, "I am here to talk about a certain death concerning one of my own, one that has been murdered by one of your pride members."

"What murder?" Vitani blurted out in confusion. "I haven't heard or seen anybody murder any cheetahs."

Sheikh smiled amusedly, showing her pearly white fangs. "Oh! Don't you remember a few months ago when a trial was held in the Pride Lands? Or did this little fact slip you mind?"

Vitani frowned slightly, there was a trial while Vitani was in labour with her daughter, Shari. All she could remember was the stories from the other lionesses who were present at the trial, saying how the cheetah in question proudly proclaimed his plot to kill Tanabi and Ayira, even until his dying breath. Vitani shuddered, somebody that crazy deserved it.

"We have discussed this several times already! You of all animals should understand why he deserved to be punished!" Kovu cried out, his fierce green eyes now glowing dangerously. He could feel his anger rising; just what was she playing at? Kovu snarled in disgust. "How can you even stick up for someone that horrible? He tried to kill my cubs and under our law, that punishment is death!"

Sheikh got closer to the huge lion, a coy frown on her face. "Bujune was clearly out of his mind from the get-go. Is it fair to charge him with death when he couldn't help his impulses? He didn't get a very fair trial my king. There were no eyewitnesses to the crime you said that he committed. Didn't you forget that it was a rhino who was the one who actually murdered a member of your pride and yet he wasn't charged with anything?"

"The rhino couldn't make it to the trial." Kovu replied softly, trying to dodge around the subject. Masozi had died within a month of the attack, too heartbroken after the death of one of his best friends and the possible death of another. He then glared at the cheetah who was examining her claws. "If this is all you have to say, we're done from here on out. C'mon, Vitani. Let's go home." Vitani, still lost in confusion, jumped to her feet and followed Kovu. They were about to walk away peacefully before Sheikh laughed softly. She ran up and jumped in front of the feet of both of the lions, her fangs now completely bared.

"Is it wise to turn your back on me, my king?" Sheikh snarled, her facade completely gone as her fur stood up on end. "I have tried to be reasonable with you and your pride, and look where it has gotten me! I am done walking on eggshells with you and bowing down! From now on, I declare war against Pride Rock!"

There was a deafening silence as those six words were spoken, making the Outlander's vivid blue eyes widen in alarm. _Tell me she isn't serious! That's just suicide!_ Vitani thought in a panic. _If this breaks out, the other animals will_… She shuddered to think of the outcome. It was obvious the cheetahs that Sheikh currently led were equal in number to the pride, and it wasn't easy to tell if Kovu could lead the pride to victory. Half of the lionesses in the pride were too old now to fight and the rest were just small cubs. But if Sheikh could rally up more cheetahs in the surrounding area, then the pride would be in even more serious trouble.

What made it only worse was the fact that Vitani knew in her heart most of the animals wouldn't side with Kovu, no matter what he did; he would always be thought of as a Scar replacement. Vitani looked up at Kovu, whose face was absolutely shocked at this revelation to the point where his jaw almost dropped. She felt him tense up; it was obvious he had no answers.

"Why are you doing this?" Kovu finally spoke up incredulously. "What motive could you possibly have to sacrifice so many of your family?"

"You should know the answer!" Sheikh snapped, a haughty note of irony in her voice. "Your family is not very popular to begin with, and now many of the animals have now opened their eyes to see how unjust this regime really is! We are tired of being pushed to the limit and we are tired of listening to your rule! We'll reap what is due us! We will fight to the bitter end, and if we don't win this war, we will make sure that we at least wipe out the whole pride, that I promise you!"

"Couldn't we bargain with you somehow?" Vitani asked hastily, her emotions running on high. "Can't we negotiate or somethin'?"

Sheikh smirked smugly, she finally got them in her grasp. "I have a simple solution for you: step down and let us rule! That is the only way you will escape with your lives."

"Never!" Kovu roared. "If you think that we would allow you to just take over the kingdom, you're out of your damn mind!" He roared again more fiercely with fury. If she wanted a war, she'd get one! There were too many sacrifices on this land to just give it all up. Vitani nodded in agreement.

"Fine, fine. Have it _your_ way," Sheikh replied sarcastically, a smug smile on her white muzzle. "Leave it to a bunch of lions to be too damn stubborn for their own good. Oh well, this shall be an interesting little scuffle my king." She sauntered slowly up to Kovu and rubbed up against his massive shoulder, inhaling the scent of his fur. "Ah! To be drenched in your blood and have your defeated corpse as a throw rug is simply orgasmic." Sheikh purred seductively as she gave Kovu one last look before running into the plains like the speed of light, leaving the two lions sitting on the ground, completely beside themselves.

Ayira crouched behind a tree, her green eyes wide with fear as she absorbed the bitter news. As she peered over to see her father and aunt, Ayira could only feel numb inside. _Oh Grandfather, what have we done?_ she thought in agony as, once again, warm tears sprung to her eyes.

* * *

_I'm baack! So how was the chapter? Pretty good..right? I loved writing Sheikh, she is so awesome plus she's really insane, so look forward to seeing her more often. A big thanks to __**Prince of Pride **__for continuing to be so interested in this story and to my beta __**Kovukono **__for helping me improve my grammar and making this chapter better for you the readers! So after you have read this chapter please don't forget to review ^^. _

_Names:_

_Shakire: Grateful_

_Shari: Hardship_

_Sheikh: Leader _


	14. Midnight Dash

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones **

**Part Two **

Chapter Fourteen: Moonlight Dash

* * *

That afternoon Kovu quickly summoned the whole pride outside the inner cave of Pride Rock. Most of the lionesses were hunting at the time. No one knew why their king needed everyone present, even the elderly and the cubs. One by one, the lionesses made it up the steps to the walkway on Pride Rock, smiling and talking to each other pleasantly as they took their seats beside their fellow sisters. No one knew of the seriousness of the situation.

The whole pride fell silent as Kovu, Kiara and Ayira stepped out of the main cave. It was clear by the stony look on Kovu's face that something was very wrong.

"My family," Kovu said seriously and flatly, his voice trembling with sadness, "many of you have been wondering why I have summoned you all here today. I have devastating news. Sheikh, the leader of the cheetah clan, has proclaimed war against the pride."

Everyone gasped in shock, looking at each other with worry in their eyes. Questions raced through their minds and they started to panic.

"Please calm down," Kiara replied, trying to placate the worried lionesses.

"How can we?" one lioness cried out in anger. "What did we do that was so bad that they would declare war on us?"

"It can't be true!" exclaimed another. "The cheetahs have been our allies for ages, even during Scar's reign!"

"Oh it's true alright," Vitani snorted in disgust beside her mate. "Our so-called 'allies' hate our guts now."

"Has anybody tried talking to them?"

"Yeah! Maybe there's still time!"

Kovu stared at the chaos of the pride. Things were quickly going downhill. Suddenly someone let out a powerful roar, silencing the pride as they turned around, wide eyes staring at Nala. The former Queen slowly got to her feet.

"Right. No amount of complaining will do us any good," Nala replied calmly as everyone listened to her intently. "I'm pretty sure that Sheikh had this planned a long time ago, and now we've got to prepare ourselves. If we want to live, we have to have a plan. Let Kovu to speak."

"Thank you Nala," Kovu said, sitting down between his mate and daughter. "This is the plan. Tonight, our best hunters will guard our borders. I have left Vitani in charge of the scouts for the time being. The rest of us will create a barrier of defense around Pride Rock. Our younger pride members will be in the first line of defense while the older members will be the second. Jelani and Otien will command the two lines simultaneously."

"Who will protect the cubs?" a teenage lioness asked as she hugged her younger sister closer to her body with her paw.

"I will," Kiara said with determination.

Kovu shook his head. "It's too dangerous. Our unborn cub and you are too important to me to even think something like that."

Kiara looked at him with angrily. No doubt she wanted to do something to help the pride and take revenge against the cheetahs who had hurt her family so much.

"What if something happens to me?" Kovu said reasonably. "There's no way that I can protect you, and if you die, Ayira will be the only one left who can lead the Pridelands. You'll have to stay hidden until the fighting is over. Ayira will take you to Rafiki's tree. At least that way I can be sure that you're both safe."

Ayira visibly flinched at this, but said nothing. "Alright. I'm with you Kovu," Kiara relented with a sigh. "But I won't protect the cubs, who will?"

"Don't worry Kiara, I will," Nala replied with a wry smile on her muzzle. "I may be getting older but the only way I let _any_ of those cheetahs near the cubs will be over my dead body." Nala was the most natural choice for the job, she had actively fought in both major battles during her lifetime and had survived many tragedies in her life. If anyone could protect the cubs it had to be Nala.

"There's just one problem," Vitani spoke up. "The sheer size of the cheetah clan. They double our numbers! How can we take down so many enemies?"

"We just have to hold on and hope for the best," Kovu replied calmly as he shrugged his shoulders. "Nobody said this was going to be an easy road, but we're a lot stronger than they ever could be. We didn't survive this long to lose everything."

"But who's to say things won't fall apart? Sure, we're cocky now, but has anyone ever fought a cheetah before? They're a completely different race, they're proud and can persevere through anything. How can you beat something like that?" Otien said darkly, a storm brewing in his dark grey eyes. "I have fought cheetahs before in my kingdom, and I can tell you right now, things are going to get really messy real quick. Unless we get some real back-up, I'm not sure we can win this."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Kovu snapped at the slender lion, his temper finally getting the better of him. "Just lie down and allow them to take over?" Otien growled under his breath as Kovu neared him. The last thing he needed was the King to be on his back at a time like this. The two grown lions stood in front of each other, faces inches away, trembling with anger. Vitani and Kiara looked at each other with worry; were they going to fight?

Finally after an awkward silence, Otien stubbornly averted his eyes from Kovu's own ones. "_No_. I'm just saying is maybe we need some backup."

"That's just stupid." Kovu spat but was obviously thinking about Otien's idea. "We don't know anybody outside of our borders, and what if they decide to turn their backs on us? Then what?"

"I don't know, Kovu," Nala said thoughtfully. "During Scar's reign, I left the Pridelands in order to find us some help. That's where I found Simba. Maybe Otien has a point."

"We can enlist help from the Aïr pride. King Jarumi is my elder brother and he is very kind-hearted. I'm sure he would want to help us," Waridi replied as her daughter, Kutu, looked at her with wide eyes. "We should send a messenger to get help. Just tell Jarumi that Waridi has found her home and he will understand."

"I'll do it." Ayira abruptly said, making the whole pride turn around in shock. "Somebody has to make the journey, and who better than to make the future Queen to go?"

"No," Kovu said sharply at his daughter. "We need you safe and at home. We almost lost you once, and I'm not taking any chances on losing you again."

"You don't need me," Ayira said calmly shaking her head. "I'll just be dead weight. I'm tired of being able to do nothing. Hell, I can't even stand on my own four paws without somebody trying to do it for me anymore." The small smile on her face slowly turned into a rueful frown. "Father, all I am asking is for a chance to prove myself."

"It's not going to happen," Kovu said impulsively. The thought of losing another cub was starting to scare him. "I'll never let you go, Ayira! We have plenty of other lionesses who can do the job!"

Ayira simply turned away from her father and swallowed a lump in her throat. _I knew this would happen, but even still_… _I can't let Dad get to me_. She closed her eyes for a second and breathed in slowly before opening her eyes again. Now it was time to prove herself. "It doesn't matter. I'm still going," she said softly as Kovu's ears flew up.

"What?"

"You heard me," she retorted defiantly, her voice becoming stronger. "You can give me your blessing and allow me to go, or you can watch my back as I leave for good."

"Stop being childish, Ayira," Nala chided her granddaughter. "We don't have time for your stubbornness."

"And _we_ don't have time to just sit here and study our tails," Ayira shot back. "What other choice do we have?" She gave a pleading look to anyone who would stand up for her, but the pride members either kept quiet or turned their heads away from the princess. Even her best friend Kutu wasn't going to defend her. Instead the red lioness pawed at ground in order not to meet Ayira's eyes.

Ayira let out an annoyed huff. Fine, if they were going to be like that, so be it. "I am _so_ **out** of here," Ayira growled angrily as she turned to leave Pride Rock.

Kovu closed his eyes in pain, the anger he had held during the meeting was clouding over into an overwhelming feeling of sadness. _Damn, way to go Kovu_._ You're driving away the only kid you have left_,he thought to himself wretchedly. _And who could blame her? _Nothing was going the way he had envisioned raising cubs. The day the twins were born, he vowed that he would _never_ be like his mother. Kovu made sure that he told Tanabi and Ayira that he loved them. He tried to protect them like any good father could. They were his children, his _everything_, and for a time he thought that he could protect them from everything.

But that was before he cursed Tanabi for everything on that faithful day. The words he said… Kovu didn't even want to remember; it made him physically sick even thinking about Tanabi's stricken face begging him for forgiveness. He didn't even know if he would ever see his son again, and now Ayira was leaving him too.

"Ayira, wait," Kovu said. Ayira turned around, glaring at him with such anger that he almost felt his heart literally break in two. "You have my blessing… you are a grown lioness now, and it's time I realized that. If this means so much to you, I'm with you one hundred percent."

"Oh, Dad! Thank you!" Ayira cried out happily as she licked her father's cheek. The next thing she knew, Kovu pulled her into a very tight embrace and her eyes flew open with surprise. _Dad? _Ayira thought to herself as her father buried his face into her shoulder. For a minute, Ayira thought that he would never let go.

"I love you so much Ayira," Kovu said firmly. "Please return to me and your family."

"I promise," Ayira reassured him as her father reluctantly let go.

"If you're going to find the pride, they're located on the plateau in the far north, within the great desert. It's huge, so you can't miss it," Waridi said to Ayira with a small smile on her face. "The journey will be long and tiring but if you stay smart and use your common sense, you'll do just fine."

Ayira nodded, taking in all of the information that Waridi gave her. "Thank you, Waridi." she replied before turning to face the rest of the pride. "I swear to all of you, I won't let you down. I'll return as soon as I can with help."

"Then it's settled!" Kovu shouted back, catching everyone's attention. "Vitani and our hunters, get ready for lookout! Everyone else follow me. We will not let Sheikh and her minions get the best of us!"

###################################################################################################################

It took a couple of hours for the lions to get organized. While Kovu watched from his spot high on Pride Rock, Vitani left with her group and hid in the tall grasses around Pride Rock in order to watch for any signs of cheetahs in the area. The night air was frigid and the atmosphere couldn't have been any tenser; no other animals moved about at all in fear of being attacked by a lion or cheetah. Word had spread quickly of the upcoming war, and now all the pride could do was sit and wait for the results.

The dead silence and darkness had made a perfect combination for Vitani's group. Each of the four lionesses were almost completely shrouded in the shadows of the night. Only the light of the moon above gave any hint that they were even there.

"They're taking their sweet time gettin' here," a lioness named Furaha said with a soft snarl as she pawed at the soft ground beneath her. "Maybe they chickened out."

"Cowards," another lioness spat. "If they have the gall to come out and claim war on us, they should at least give us the pleasure of giving them a quick death."

"Hush!" Vitani snapped at the two lionesses, her voice soft and low. "You're going to give away our position. They might not show up, but we can't take any chances." The two nodded reluctantly as they returned silently to their original posts.

Vitani sighed inwardly, she was the only lioness in her group who had any real experience with combat other than Dotty; the other three lionesses were born after the war between the Pridelanders and Outsiders. They had been sitting there since the sun had begun to set; it was now well into the night, but Vitani had seen no sign of an attack at all. She could only hope that it was all a ruse and that this was simply meant to scare Kovu.

Suddenly Vitani saw something moving in the distance. She lowered herself even lower on the ground and narrowed her keen eyes in order to get a better look. All she could see were shadows at first, but as they got closer, Vitani could have sworn she saw flashes of dull yellow. _They're here! _Vitani thought in a panic, her blue eyes widening in shock.

She turned to Furaha beside her. "Go alert Kovu!" Vitani hissed to the young lioness who stared at Vitani with fear, her whole body paralyzed. Frustrated Vitani roared at her. "What the hell is wrong with you? I said GO!" Vitani's voice seemed to penetrate through to the poor lioness as Furaha shook her head and ran off to find Kovu without another thought.

"Vitani watch out!" Dotty cried out. Vitani turned around in shock as she felt something hard slam into her right side, almost knocking the wind out of her. As she fell to the ground, Vitani found that a cheetah had gotten the best of her as it started to claw at her face. Vitani let out a grunt of pain as the cheetah's claws pierced her fur, but she quickly got to her senses and used her hindlegs to shove the cheetah off of her. The cheetah was easily picked up from the strength of Vitani's legs and was landed on the ground in front of Vitani, knocked out. As Vitani jumped back to her paws she saw that each of her allies was fighting a cheetah.

"I would watch after yourself," one male cheetah snarled at Vitani, glaring defiantly at her.

Vitani smirked, as her back arched up and she exposed her claws. "Bring it." Vitani said smugly as she charged at the cheetah, praying to the great spirits that Furaha would alert Kovu in time.

Far on the other side of the Pridelands, safe from the conflict that had just exploded, Kiara and Nala were saying their final good-byes to Ayira in Rafiki's tree home.

"Dis will protect you, my child," Rafiki replied solemnly as he smeared a light blue powder across Ayira's forehead. "It is de mark of de queens of de Pridelands. It will help you bring victory to us all." The baboon then took his staff and chanted a prayer for Ayira in his native language in order to give Ayira more good luck. After he was done, he gave the young lioness a gentle hug before allowing her to talk to her mother and grandmother one last time.

"Goodbye, Mother. I'll come home soon," Ayira said softly as Kiara nuzzled her daughter.

"I know you will. It's just hard to see my baby go," Kiara replied back, a proud smile on her face, tears lining her hazel eyes. "Please be careful."

"Don't cry mom, you'll make me cry too," Ayira said jokingly as she felt her own eyes watering. They laughed a bit to clear the tension in the air. Ayira leaned down and put her nose affectionantly to her mother's bulging stomach. "Hey you in there! Keep my mom company while your big sister is gone."

"Heh. It'll do more than that," Nala chuckled as she gave her granddaughter a hug. "I'm proud of you, Ayira."

"Princess Ayira, are you ready?" Kutu asked nervously, afraid that she was being rude about interrupting Ayira's family time. The red lioness had agreed to accompany Ayira in her mother's place since her mother was busy watching after the cubs.

"Yes, I'm ready," Ayira replied to her friend. She smiled at her mother and grandmother one last time before stepping out into the night. It was pleasantly chilly outside and calm, the perfect night for a journey. Ayira closed her eyes for a minute and breathed in deeply, trying to absorb the smell of her beloved home, before she left.

As she opened her eyes, Ayira knew that she was ready.

* * *

_Okay dokey. It's over! God, I had such a hard time with this chapter, its not even funny. I guess I had a small moral dilema over Ayira leaving the Pridelands but with a little help I was able to get over it ^^. I would like to thank __**Prince of Pride **__who has been so helpful and interested in my story and __**LarFang **__for reviewing. Oh, before I forget I would like to thank my beta __**Kovukono **__for editing this chapter so that it doesn't look like some kindergardener wrote it. So go review or somethin' before a cheetah comes and eats ya! _


	15. Valley Of The King

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones**

Part Two

Chapter Fifteen: The Valley of the King

* * *

Furaha sprinted as fast as she could, her heart throbbing in her ears, her mind in a complete panic. _Find Kovu! Just find Kovu! _the lioness kept chanting to herself as she blazed through the grass and leaping over the large rocks in her way. She didn't even stop to notice the other lionesses calling her name; Furaha just kept on going. As the grayish yellow lioness saw Pride Rock, her heart skipped a beat and she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.

_I'm almost there! Please hold on my king! _Furaha thought excitedly. It was only a bit further to go, only a few yards away…

Suddenly Furaha hit something hard with her front paw and lost her balance, hitting the ground hard. Groaning in pain, she sat up and met the malevolent eyes of a cheetah.

"Going somewhere?" the cheetah taunted as she flashed Furaha a toothy grin, dark blood stains on her teeth and muzzle. Furaha's eyes widened. How did the cheetah manage to get through the lines of defense?

"Yeah, I am!" Furaha snarled, before feeling something sharp pierce her fur. Furaha let out a cry as she lay back down on the ground, writhing in pain. More pressure was pushed onto the pain and Furaha felt a wave of horror crashing over her. A cheetah had caught her from behind. Furaha swiftly turned around to face her opponent, but the first cheetah clamped her jaw onto her neck, making Furaha scream in utter agony. She could literally feel the tissue of her neck being torn into by the cheetah's sharp teeth.

"Did you really think _you_ could make a difference?" the second cheetah asked Furaha as the first put more pressure on Furaha's neck, making Furaha shriek. Tears sprung to Furaha's red eyes. _I'm sorry_,she thought to herself as the worst pain she ever felt consumed her body, just before her vision went black.

Furaha would not be the first casualty that night…

The Next Morning

Ayira stirred as the morning's first light shone on her. _Wha—morning already?_ She groaned as she opened her tired eyes. It was what she had been dreading, the bright sun and the azure sky greeting her. She hadn't gotten any sleep since last night's events; she had become fidgety with anticipation and worry for her worry for her family.

"Good morning, my princess," her companion, Kutu chimed light-heartedly as Ayira sat up. "Did you get enough sleep?"

"_Hardly_," Ayira scoffed as she stretched the kinks out of her body. "I couldn't sleep because of the grass, it was way too itchy. I'd rather sleep on the nice soft ground."

"But you have to keep yourself presentable for King Jarumi," the crimson lioness reminded Ayira gently. "You wouldn't want him to turn you away just because you're too dirty."

Ayira smirked at her friend. "Well, he'll just have to get over it, won't he?" She grinned at Kutu. "Besides, King Jarumi won't turn us away, considering you're his niece and all."

"I don't think it'll be that easy. He probably won't even accept me as part of his family."

Ayira shook her head. "Kutu, you know you're just being completely paranoid, right? There's no need for us to worry about him until we actually _meet _him. C'mon, let's go. We've got a lot of ground to cover and little time."

It was a pleasant day to take a long walk; the air wasn't especially hot, with a cool gentle breeze wafting through the air. This was more than enough to keep the young lionesses' spirits up. Throughout their trek, they did nothing but talk idly about anything and everything that they saw.

The thing that had caught Ayira's attention was the huge canyon that they had started walking through. It was as vast as it was deep. Huge walls of crème-colored rock towered above them from as far as the eye could see. Many other rock formations jutted out from the ground, making it look like they were stairs to the various levels of caves inside of the canyon. It was extremely quiet and no life stirred with in the valley, bar the odd chameleon scurrying across the floor. When Ayira was a young cub, her parents told her that her great grandfather Mufasa had perished within the valley, and that his spirit watched over the valley to this very day. While Ayira had gotten old enough not to believe in these ghost stories, there was no denying the powerful sense of someone watching over her. After the death of Mufasa, the pride called this sacred place the Valley of the King.

"I wonder if I'll meet a handsome rogue on this journey," Ayira said jokingly to Kutu. "I bet he'll try to sweep me off of my paws and ask me to become his mate. Then we'll have a little cub of our own and live together forever."

"Oh, that sounds so romantic," Kutu swooned with a dreamy look on her face. "I hope a rogue lion could fall in love with me. That would be my dream come true. I can just picture it now." Kutu closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh, before frowning. "Of course, we all know that probably won't come true."

_Kutu, you just don't know how far from the truth you are_,Ayira thought amusedly. Kutu was an amazing lioness in Ayira's humble opinion. She was sweet, gentle and caring. Kutu would make any lion happy and she probably would make a great mother.

_And beautiful..._ a little voice whispered inside Ayira as she studied her friend. From her gentle, light, hazel-colored eyes to her lithe form and her flawless red pelt down to her perfect creamy thighs. Ayira felt a warm, tingling feeling come over her cheeks and she quickly tried to dispel her thoughts. _Whoa girl, you're getting too into this. Kutu isn't into you. Period_,Ayira told herself stubbornly, but could help but blush even more.

"What does your dream lion look like Princess?" Kutu asked, thankfully snapping Ayira out of her little fantasy.

"Do you think I'm the type of lioness who would settle with a lion?" Ayira asked Kutu hypothetically. "I'm perfectly able to take care of myself. I'm a strong and independent lioness. I _don't_ need a lion to tell me what to do."

"But as queen, you'll need to continue the family line," Kutu replied worriedly.

"Who said I wanted to be queen?" Ayira said harshly, wrinkling her nose up in pure disgust. "They can get my unborn brother or sister to do the job. I want nothing to do with the throne."

"Ayira!" the red lioness gasped. "Why would you say such an awful thing?"

Ayira stopped walking and glared at Kutu. "Why should I have a reason _not_ to? All being a princess has done is give me pain and sorrow. Hell, I almost got killed because of what my kingdom is based on. You know what I say? Screw being queen," Ayira spat acidly as she started to walk further out into the grasslands. Kutu watched Ayira with sad eyes before catching up with the princess. She never thought Ayira felt that strongly about taking over the throne.

Smiling, Kutu licked Ayira's cheek affectionately, making the princess turn around and stare at Kutu with wide eyes. "You're not alone, Ayira," Kutu told Ayira reassuringly, putting her paw on the orange lioness's. "Whatever you choose, I'm with you."

Ayira blushed again with embarrassment. "Th… th… thanks Kutu," Ayira stuttered, managing to make her blush deepen. She felt like she was going to faint because of Kutu's sudden sign of affection towards her, but she quickly recovered. "You're the best."

"I know," Kutu replied winking. Ayira rolled her green eyes at Kutu playfully as she walked past the red lioness with a small secretive smile on her dark golden muzzle. Ayira then winced, her head was starting to hurt. _It must be because of the altitude_,Ayira thought to herself nonchalantly. _It's nothing to worry about. _

_"_I can't believe we're actually here, in the Valley of the Kings," Ayira said thoughtfully to Kutu, her voice soft with reverence. "Can't you feel the great spirits of those before us Kutu? It's like we're walking with them," Ayira shuddered as another sharp pain shot through her skull, her body feeling slightly chilly.

"I guess so…" the crimson lioness replied with uncertainty in her voice. "I just can't wait to get out of here, my princess. This place gives me the creeps."

"Don't tell me that you're afraid of a couple of rocks, 'ey Kutu?" Ayira grinned mischievously at her friend and nudged her in the side. "Don't worry, they _can't_ eat you."

"I'm not worried about that," Kutu shuddered. "I'm getting the feeling that someone is watching us and lurking in those caves, waiting for their right time to ambush us!"

Ayira laughed. "Kutu, you are the personification of the worst case scenario. There's nobody here." Ayira climbed on top of a huge boulder and flicked her tail. "Stop being such a scaredy-cat." A stronger wave of pain throbbed through her head, making Ayira gasp out in pain as a fleeting thought of two lions running through the valley flew through her mind. Ayira stumbled clumsily off of the boulder and back to the ground.

"Are you okay? Maybe we should rest," Kutu said with concern as Ayira started breathing heavily, but the orange lioness shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I'm fine," Ayira gasped, closing her eyes as she felt another sharp pain. She opened her eyes as she got her second wind. "Let's just get out of this gorge first." Kutu nodded in agreement and continued walking but not without giving Ayira another worried look.

_What's going on with me? _Ayira thought as she winced again and again. Now it seemed that the attacks were more frequent. Her head was throbbing like a beating drum, and her sight was getting a blurry. She turned her head to the sky, hoping that some sunlight would help clear her head. But when she saw a ghostly white pelt of a young cub walking high above them in one of the caves, Ayira knew she was losing it.

She shook her head. _Whoa_._ This heat is really getting to me_, she thought, but frowned; she didn't feel hot at all. Actually… she felt like she was freezing. She heard the sound of her brother laughing, but fervently shook her head again. This was starting to disturb her; Ayira hardly ever thought about Tanabi after the accident, so why was she thinking about him now?

"Ayira, come on," Kutu called after the princess, looking behind her back. Ayira nodded dumbly; her mouth felt like it was filled with sand. Ayira took a few more painfully slow steps, each one feeling like it took a lifetime. She lifted her eyes in front of her to see a skinny tree snapped almost in half, curved to the point where it looked like it was bowing to the ground.

Suddenly it was like her brain had exploded inside of her and Ayira let out a horrific cry. Her legs buckled from underneath her and she fell to the dusty ground. What was worse was she had lost sight in her eyes during that moment, and she couldn't see or hear anything Kutu was doing or saying to her. A flurry of images barraged her mind. _What's happening? What's happening? _Ayira screamed as the images flashed by her.

Tanabi and some lion fighting.

A splatter of blood.

_No! NO!_

Cheetahs, many cheetahs, everywhere in the Pridelands.

A lioness's body lying in the sand.

_What's happening?_

A cub laughing with her father.

The blank, dead eyes of her parents.

Sheikh.

_No! Stop it! Stop it please!_

Ayira running through the Pridelands.

Tanabi… Tanabi was…

_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

Ayira's eyes snapped open and she let out a terrifying scream, one that could even bring the ghosts of the past back to life.

* * *

_Sorry this update took so long! The original chapter fifteen wasn't going anywhere so I re-did it and I think it is much better ^^. A thank you to __**robotminione **__and __**Prince of Pride **__for reviewing and __**Kovukono **__my beta for editing this chapter. So if you want your penname on a magical chapter just review like these guys...if you aren't chicken that is! _

_Names:_

_Furaha: Happiness_


	16. Kutu's Promise

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

**Wanderer's Arc**

Chapter Sixteen: Kutu's Promise

_I don't own My Song by Amanda Lee from the anime Angel Beats. However, I __do_ own _my right to__ recommend listening to this song while reading this chapter :P_

* * *

_"C'mon Ayira!" Tanabi taunted Ayira as he ran past her, laughing his head off. Ayira laughed lightheartedly as well as they ran through the darkness. Neither one of the small cubs had paid much attention to how dark everything looked; the sky and ground had turned inky black. All Ayira knew was that she was having fun with her twin, and that was all that mattered to her. _

_"C'mon sis!" the brown cub egged her on as he got further away from her, laughing joyfully. Ayira pumped her little legs as hard as she could, she wasn't going to let Tanabi get the best of her. She smirked as she closed the distance between the two of them, hot on his heels. Then she abruptly stopped, unable to move. _

_"Tanabi! Tanabi, I'm stuck!" Ayira cried out in a panic. She struggled to move her body as she slowly sank into the shadows beneath her. "Help me! Please! Tanabi, come back!" Despite the princess's cries for help, Tanabi continued to run, not even looking back even once. He didn't seem to care about his sister who was now sinking faster into the black ground, screaming for his help._

_"Tanabi!" Ayira screamed once more before the dark mass wormed it way into her mouth, choking off her words. As soon as Tanabi was virtually out of her sight, she was completely consumed by the darkness. _

_The next thing she felt was a sensation of falling, falling, falling. Ayira frantically moved her legs, but wasn't going anywhere but down. There was no audible sound, and she felt weightless, almost like a feather. Ayira eventually touched the bottom. As she did, color and light flooded the area. Golden grasses sprouted up in multitudes, and she suddenly found herself in a wide open field. _

_"Where am…I?" Ayira asked curiously, looking around. Nothing looked familiar to the orange lioness, and it was obvious that she was not in the Valley of the King anymore. _

_"Look, it's the traitor," someone spat from behind her. Ayira's ears swiveled a bit as she slowly turned around. _

_"Kutu!" Ayira cried out happily before frowning. There was something off about her childhood friend, there was a cold condescending look on Kutu's normally gentle face. More lions from the pride started walking towards Kutu and sat down next to the red lioness, glaring angrily at Ayira. _

_"Traitor!" Kovu roared at his daughter. Ayira's green eyes widened in shock._

_"Father! I'm not a…" _

_"Murderer?" Kiara finished Ayira's sentence for her mockingly. She chuckled bitterly. "C'mon, Ayira we all know that's a lie!" _

_"Mom, I've never—" _

_"You've doomed us all!" Jelani growled threateningly. Ayira closed her eyes in pain as she let the hateful words roll over her like a wave. The four lions started began to close in on her, their words only becoming angrier and angrier. _

_"Traitor!"_

_"Monster!" _

_"Murderer!" _

_"No! I'm not! Leave me alone!" Ayira yelled as she broke out of the circle. Ayira continued to run as fast as she could to get away from her friends and parents. She wasn't a murderer! Tears streaming down her cheeks, Ayira eventually stopped near a small puddle of water, sobbing her heart out. _

_Suddenly Ayira noticed small red spots swirling in the clear water, the scent of blood pervading the air. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Ayira backed away, horrified as the pool started to turn a deep dark crimson, the smell turning into one of putrid flesh. The form of a cheetah emerged out of the puddle, grinning evilly at her. As soon as Ayira saw the decaying rotting half of the cheetah's face compared to the skeletal half, she let out a horrified scream._

OooO

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

"NOOOOO! NOOOO!"

"Ayira! Ayira wake up!" Kutu cried out in concern, as loud as her voice would allow her. She gently tried to awaken the princess out of her self-induced nightmare, but it only managed to make things worse. The orange lioness's face was contorted into a look of complete panic and fright; she was thrashing wildly on the ground, arms and legs flailing in order to get away from what seemed to be chasing her. Kutu ducked a well placed elbow and bit her lower lip; it upset the lioness to see Ayira in so much pain.

"_NO!_ Leave me alone! Just leave me alone!" Ayira pleaded pitifully, before her eyes finally snapped open. Her breathing was labored as she started to take in her surroundings and calm down. Kutu watched as Ayira slowed her breathing and let out a very relieved sigh. The orange lioness turned to Kutu with a concerned look etched on her face.

"How long was I out?" Ayira murmured softly, her voice harsh from the screaming.

"About half a day, Princess," Kutu replied gently, a warm smile forming on her lips. "I'm glad to see you awake. I almost thought you wouldn't wake up."

Ayira laughed dryly. "That's not a nice joke." The orange lioness sat up very slowly and grunted in pain. "Gah… Even when I actually get a decent night's sleep, I _still_ have that headache. Where are we anyway, Kutu?"

"I don't know, to tell you the truth. I carried you until I literally dropped," Kutu replied, watching Ayira's eyes widen in surprise. Kutu at least knew that she was out of the gorge, but where she was now… There was nothing but hard, beige ground and the huge starry sky above them. Kutu's mother had told them that if you kept on going straight through the gorge you would eventually hit the Great Desert, but Kutu had seen no sign of sand anywhere.

"Thanks for carrying me, Kutu. You're the best," Ayira said with a wide grin, winking at the red lioness. Kutu felt a gentle blush come over her cheeks; for some reason Ayira always had that effect on her.

" Ah… it… it was nothing." Kutu stuttered, inwardly she cursed herself. _C'mon Kutu! Why'd you have to go and stutter like that? Speak normally to Ayira for once in your life! _

Ayira's light laughter made Kutu blush even more. "Nothing? It's everything! You saved my life! You are awesome." She smiled. "Who knew you had it in you?"

"I was just doing what any other lioness would do in my situation," Kutu replied, shaking her head amusedly. Kutu frowned. "You had me worried though, my princess. Fainting like that I mean. What happened?"

"I just had a migraine that's all." Ayira said quickly, the light-hearted tone in her voice shifting a bit. "Nothing to worry about."

Kutu's eyebrows furrowed with worry. _That was some migraine_, she thought to herself, not completely buying Ayira's excuse. "But Princess, you were screaming and cursing the whole time I was by your side. It was almost like you were seeing something."

The orange lioness' emerald eyes darkened and she cringed. "What did you hear?"

"You were saying that you weren't a murderer, and other stuff like that," Kutu told Ayira slowly. The look in her princess's eyes was troubling her; she had never seen Ayira look so… guilty about something. A nasty thought crept into Kutu's mind and Kutu shook it off; Ayira wasn't capable of murder… was she?

_Of course not! _Kutu thought, ashamed that she could even think that about her best friend. _The princess is a good, kind lioness! She would never intentionally sully her paws… She probably received a vision from her great-grandfather. But of what? Killing someone? _Kutu averted her gaze from Ayira to the ground beneath her, not knowing what to say.

An uncomfortable silence formed between the two lionesses, both wrestling with their own thoughts. Neither one wanted to continue the conversation. It was the first time that either lioness was at a loss of words. Kutu was about to tell Ayira to forget it, but the burnt orange lioness cleared her throat.

"…Kutu, we're friends right?" Ayira said nervously, pawing at the ground, not quite meeting Kutu's eyes.

Kutu swallowed down a lump in her throat. _This is the moment of truth_,she thought to herself, bracing for anything Ayira was going to throw at her. "Yes, we are."

"Things are going to be different from now on," Ayira replied seriously, staring straight into Kutu's light hazel eyes. Before Kutu was able to open her mouth in response, Ayira cut her off. "Especially after we find the Aïr Pride. I might not be the same lioness you know… Just promise me something."

"What is it?" Kutu asked almost inaudibly, trying to crack a weak smile in hope that Ayira would smile back. She didn't.

"Promise me you'll never leave me," Ayira pleaded with the red lioness, her voice deadly serious and almost desperate. "No matter how stupid the choices I make, no matter how impossible I am to stay with and no matter… what you hear. Please just don't go."

Kutu stared deeply into Ayira's eyes for a moment. She could literally see the vulnerable, innocent side of Ayira that she had tried to keep hidden within herself after Tanabi's disappearance. As soon as she saw this, Kutu knew her answer. She gently licked the Princess's cheek and put her paw on Ayira's. Ayira stiffened as she turned to Kutu with wide eyes.

"Of course I would never leave you," Kutu reassured the orange lioness softly, a bright smile on her face. "You're my best friend, Ayira. That'll never change. I won't stray from your side. If you do change, I'll help bring you back. I promise."

Suddenly, Kutu felt Ayira slowly put her head up under Kutu's jaw. Kutu shifted uneasily at first, the same gentle blush from earlier coming back to her cheeks. But then noticing how Ayira wasn't trying to pull away from her, Kutu let out a small sigh of content and slowly moved closer to her princess, closing her eyes in order to savor the moment.

_Please don't worry, my princess. You're not alone anymore. I'll be here right by your side. _

OooO

A Week Later

The Great Desert. The home of endless cracks in the water-deprived ground and light crème-colored plains, where the air is dry and only the sound of the buzzard's cry could be heard… well almost only that.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

"Princess, please try not to curse," Kutu reprimanded Ayira with an amused tone of voice. "It's not very becoming."

"I really _don't_ give a damn right now," Ayira complained as she panted hard, stubbornly dragging her lifeless paws on the cracked ground. "I hate this place! Why on Mufasa's green earth would a pride actually live out here? Do they have a death wish or something?"

"I think that's more us than them." Kutu quipped tiredly, fervently wanting to close her eyes and drop dead. They had spent the last two days wandering around the Great Desert with no end in sight. Ayira's complaining was not helping the situation in the slightest either, and she was slowly getting on Kutu's nerves. Kutu kept her mouth shut, she needed to save any energy she could and she didn't to waste it arguing with Ayira. Kutu squinted her eyes against the harsh light, they had a long way to go.

"Let's take a little break." Kutu told Ayira quietly. When Ayira didn't let out a cheer of joy or a snappy comment, Kutu turned around worriedly. "Princess Ayira?"

"I think that'll have to wait until later," Ayira said with a low growl, her eyes flaring with thoughts of combat. "We have company and they don't smell friendly."

"What?" Kutu cried out, looking around. She couldn't see anything abnormal from the distance Ayira was seeing, but she could smell the distinct smell of lionesses and plenty of them.

Suddenly Kutu could see the visitors coming down the same hill that she and Ayira had previously come over. Kutu could only make out about four lionesses and a lion heading their way. She bit her lower lip nervously. _This isn't good. _She got closer to Ayira's body in fear. "Do you think we should make a run for it?" she asked her friend.

"Feh," Ayira snorted, growling even more. "I doubt we'll make it too far without one of them catching us. Let's stand our ground, I'll protect you."

Kutu nodded numbly, moving further behind Ayira. They waited until the lionesses were upon them and, as Ayira predicted, they didn't exactly seem friendly. Each lioness was the color of light red, much like Kutu's own pelt except for the leader. She was of an imposing stature, slender yet muscular, and had flawless dark crimson fur that covered her whole body, except for her light crème colored muzzle. She chuffed as she sized up both Ayira and Kutu, giving them a critical look with her sharp, dark brown eyes. Kutu gulped as the leader got closer to her.

"Hey! Get away from her!" Ayira threatened the lioness, snarling.

The lioness rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I should tell you the same thing. Why is an outsider with our princess?"

"Princess?" Ayira and Kutu exclaimed together in confusion. Understanding quickly dawned on them and they turned to each other and grinned.

Their long journey was over.

* * *

_Woo! We're done! Now on to the final part of TLK 3! Anyways I'm sorry if this chapter seemed to be a bit rushed but I promise this'll be the last chapter like this. Anywho, the last part will be very dramatic and probably the best part of the whole story. I have a VERY important poll that I need each of you reviewers to answer, what you choose may alter the course of this story. Thank you to __**Prince of Pride, robotminione, lordyhour, Zubin **__and __**Scooby12m **__all for reviewing!{ And __**Kovukono **__my beta of coarse} I think it the highest review count I have ever gotten for a chapter so thanks! As for the rest of you review! _

**Edit: 10/21/10**


	17. Cruelty

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones**

**Wanderer's Arc**

Chapter Seventeen: Cruelty

* * *

Kovu paced across the entrance of the main cave, his nerves completely shot. He just couldn't relax; so many questions filled his mind, and none of them were pretty. His two companions, Jelani and Otien, sat a safe distance away from the reddish brown lion out of fear that he might actually strike them for no reason.

_Why hasn't anyone contacted me yet? Has the fight already started? Is Kiara safe? _Kovu thought worriedly as the same three questions kept on popping into his head. He let out a growl of anger and frustration, _Dammit! _

"Unc, if you keep on walkin' around like that, you're gonna wear a hole floor!" Jelani offered jokingly before Kovu shot the young lion a dark look and snarled at him. Jelani paled and laughed nervously. "Ha...just kiddin?"

"Please, just try to relax, my king," Otien told Kovu calmly. "This will only make you feel worse."

_How can I possibly feel any worse than this? _Kovu snapped at Otien in his mind, careful not to lose his temper at the golden lion again. He turned to Otien with a baleful look on his face." I am the King, Otien! I should be out there on the battlefield along with my pride… not stuck in here waiting for them to die!"

"We need our king to lead us. If you die out there everything will fall apart," Otien replied coldly. "You don't even know what is going on out there; we might be winning for all we know. Just let Vitani handle the fight for now. Your turn will come."

"Not soon enough," Kovu spat. He lowered his head and sighed. He hated the feeling of not knowing what was going on. The golden sun was already shining high above them and none of the lionesses since two nights ago. He had seen some signs of battle from his spot on Pride Rock but it had subsided hours ago. Now everything seemed eerily calm. The king closed his weary eyes; he _couldn't_ take this anymore.

"Mom! Hey, Uncle Kovu! Mom's back!" Jelani excitedly cried out as Kovu's green eyes snapped open with surprise. The slender adolescent lion quickly jumped to his mother's side in an instant as the tawny lioness slowly walked up the steps to the main cave. As soon as she made it to the entrance to the inner mouth, she collapsed in exhaustion.

"Vitani? Are you okay?" Kovu asked his sister gently as he nuzzled her, relief washing over him. At least his sister was okay. She didn't look like she was in any serious danger, just a couple of dots of blood near her muzzle and scratches on her neck, shoulders and legs. Her brilliant blue eyes were bloodshot and watery, the need for sleep evident in her eyes. All she would need was a good day's rest and she would make a full recovery. The three lions moved away from her as she attempted to sit up.

"Relax Vitani, don't push yourself just yet," Otien warned his mate, concern cloaking his voice. He then started to lick the small cuts on her paws in order to clean them.

"Don't get too mushy on me, you guys. I'm not dead," the lioness croaked as a small smirk crossed her crème muzzle. Vitani then frowned with a worried look. "Kovu, there were a bunch of those spotted freaks. We were able to fight off them off for the time being, but I know it's not over yet. The rest of the lionesses are coming back as we speak… but where's Furaha?"

"Furaha?" Jelani echoed curiously. "I thought she was with you, Mom."

"She was," Vitani replied, brow furrowing in confusion. "But I sent her off to warn you about the…" Understanding dawned on the lioness' tired face and her blue eyes widened. "_Shit!_ Don't tell me someone got to her first!"

"Ssh, ssh," The king murmured. "You need to calm down. I'm sure Furaha is fine." He then shifted his eyes to the ground as quickly as he could. In Kovu's mind, this was the furthest from the truth. It was obvious that the brave lioness had met her demise, but he didn't need to tell his sister that, not in her current state of mind. He felt his heart plummet a bit; Kovu didn't know Furaha that well personally, but knowing that they had just lost a member of the pride was devastating.

"Jelani!" Kovu barked suddenly, making the young lion look up at him quizzically. "Find Waridi for me, tell her that we need assistance with the injured. Tell her not to bring the cubs, they don't need to see this." Jelani nodded reluctantly as he left to go find the crimson lioness.

_Damn it all to hell_.Kovu snarled bitterly as he stared out into the distance, eyes darkening.

...

Meanwhile, in the hidden cave of the Cheetah Clan, most of the cheetahs slunk back into their home. It was a well hidden dugout, basically a small cave made of huge slabs of rock. The entrance was swamped with very tall golden grass, making the entrance hard to see unless you actually looked hard enough. It was the home of Sheikh and other members of her court; "commoners" were to sleep outside or around the cave for security reasons.

"C'mon Dhaifu. Can't you at least carry your own weight?" one female cheetah growled through her teeth as she dragged a lioness' leg through her mouth. "Sheikh will kill us if we're late for the meeting."

"I'm too tired, Ajizi!" the one named Dhaifu complained, panting as he let the paw he was carrying slip out of his mouth. "Besides, this just ain't right. This lioness doesn't deserve it." Another cheetah tried to shove past him.

"Get your lazy ass up and _move_, Dhaifu," Ajizi snarled. Dhaifu grudgingly put the paw back into his mouth and started dragging the lioness again.

_I'm sorry, whoever you are_._ Forgive me_,Dhaifu apologized to the dead lioness silently, guilt clouding his mind. He just didn't think it was fair; the poor lioness was already killed in a brutal fashion, and even now she couldn't get the respect she deserved. Dhaifu figured she must have been a pretty lioness before she died, and probably a mother as well, considering how heavy she was. The only thing that brought comfort to Dhaifu's mind was at least her cubs wouldn't stumble upon her bloody carcass… but if the war was to continue, it wouldn't matter anyways.

The five cheetahs sighed in relief as they entered the mouth of the dugout and quickly dropped the dead lioness to the ground without a second thought, except for Dhaifu of course. The rest of the clan acknowledged their presence with a slight turn of their heads and slowly backed away to the nearest wall, in order to make a pathway leading to Sheikh.

"Go on Dhaifu," one cheetah behind him murmured, lightly moving him forward with her head. Dhaifu's beady eyes widened.

"Nuh-uh! No way! Please, please, please don't make me go up there!" he pleaded nervously. "You know I don't do well under pressure." The clan glared at the male cheetah with annoyance and he sighed; at least he tried.

He slowly made his way to Sheikh and gulped. _She's gonna kill me, I know it_,Dhaifu thought as he cleared his throat in order to get her attention. Sheikh lifted her head slightly in annoyance.

"What have I told you about being late in my presence?" the clan leader asked lightly, but there was no mistake of the hard note in her voice.

"My leader, we have brought the lioness's body, as you have requested," Dhaifu proclaimed as he bowed low to the ground. He didn't dare make eye contact with Sheikh; doing that could have you killed. Sheikh was lazily stretched out on a huge boulder while examining her claws.

" Oh goody!" the cheetah said cheerfully as she sat up, her bad mood seemingly gone. " My souvenir has finally arrived. I'll play with it later." She batted her eyelashes at the male cheetah. "As for your reward, what _should_ I do to you?"

_Let me live...please just let me live_,Dhaifu thought impulsively, shaking as their faces seemed inches apart. He could smell her hot, bloody breath that reeked of lion flesh. When he opened his mouth, he sounded borderline terrified. "N-n-nothing. Serving you is the greatest reward that I can ever receive." Dhaifu then threw in a weak smile for good measure, hoping it would appease her.

Sheikh drew her face away from Dhaifu, pouting. "Boo, Dhaifu. You're so boring!" She stretched out lazily and yawned, arching her long slender back. The next thing Dhaifu knew, she had jumped down to his level, grinning.

"You are all dismissed," Sheikh said nonchalantly to the crowd of cheetahs, barely noticing her subjects. "Go to sleep or whatever. I don't feel like discussing the battle plans with you all; come back in a couple of hours, except for Ajizi and Dhaifu; we need to some _private_ time." Dhaifu glanced up at Ajizi, hoping the bossy cheetah had some sort of answer for him. The only thing she did was shrug her lithe shoulder; she was obviously in the dark like he was.

It didn't take long for the others to clear out of the cave, leaving the three cheetahs alone. Dhaifu felt sweat moistening his paws as Sheikh paced back and forth in front of the both of them, not saying anything and glaring at Dhaifu with those abnormal green eyes of hers. Dhaifu stood completely alert and was absolutely terrified about what would happen next. Sheikh had never called him back before; generally, if she ever did call you out, you probably wouldn't see the light of day again.

"Our mission was a success mother!" Ajizi said with a wide grin. "I did exactly what you told me to do!"

"Oh… it _was?_ Good job, my little Ajizi," Sheikh replied light-heartedly, a small, tense smile on her muzzle. Suddenly Sheikh lifted up her paw and struck Ajizi as hard as she could with her claws. Dhaifu's eyes widened as the young cheetah let out a cry of pain. Before Ajizi could turn around Sheikh slapped her again and then shoved her to the ground. Dhaifu closed his eyes and winced; he couldn't watch what was going to happen next.

"You little _bitch_," Sheikh snarled angrily as Ajizi struggled to sit up, dark blood marring her dark tear marks and light golden fur. Sheikh didn't give her a chance to stand as she stood over her and shoved Ajizi back down. "I should kill you where you stand!"

" Mother! Mother, please just listen to me," Ajizi pleaded tearfully as she struggled underneath the older cheetah, blood pouring out from her mangled left eye. "I had to pull the troops back!" Sheikh spat on her daughter's wounds, making the poor young cheetah hiss in pain. "We killed the ones you told us to… and most of our group was too injured to move on. I _needed_ to, Mother!"

"'_I needed to, Mother!_'" Sheikh taunted as she put a firm paw on her daughter's neck and started pressing down, choking her. "Everyone is willing to sacrifice their lives! What makes _you _think that you are any different?" Sheikh continued to growl maliciously as she watched Ajizi gasp for breath, eventually releasing her grip from Ajizi's throat.

"I _suppose _I can let you live for now," Sheikh replied coolly, her trademark smile back on her face. "After all, today is such a special day, and I am in such a good mood. You should thank me for being such a caring mother."

_You call that caring? _Dhaifu thought in disgust. Now he wasn't even trying to hide his nervousness and was thoroughly shaken from what he just saw. He didn't dare come to Ajizi's aid in fear of Sheikh lashing out at him.

"Cubs are such trouble, aren't they, Dhaifu?" Sheikh said amusedly as she coldly stepped over her daughter's injured body. "They are a complete waste of space and need all of your constant attention. Even if you give it to them, most of the time they become screw-ups anyways. Just look at that one, she can't do _anything_ right."

"Yes ma'am," Dhaifu replied quickly, lowering his small ears in shame. He dreaded his leader's next response.

"I knew you would agree with me. If only my opponent could come to the same understanding," Sheikh said with a sigh. "It's a pity really. Why should a cub come between us?"

"I'm… sorry… I don't understand."

"I want that bastard Kovu to understand what it means to truly suffer and hate, so that we will be on the same page. But how can he when that cub of his will bring him happiness and hope?" Sheikh asked, her voice almost as innocent as a small cub's. She put her paw on top of Dhaifu's own sweaty one. "That's why I need you, Dhaifu. To find his pregnant queen and _destroy_ her."

"What?" Dhaifu blurted out accidently, eyes the size of saucers, yanking his paw from Sheikh's grip. _Kill the Queen and her unborn cub? _he screamed to himself, feeling the strange and inexplicable urge to cry right then. This was just too much for the poor cheetah to handle… Why would Sheikh even think about something like that?

"You heard me," the female cheetah retorted. "I don't want my new kingdom plagued by those demons…" She narrowed her green eyes in suspicion as Dhaifu paled. "You're not sympathizing with those monsters are you?"

"N-no… n-n-no," Dhaifu stuttered frantically, hoping to get a wrap around his mind. Sheikh leaned closer into his face, as if to see into his deepest thoughts. He felt his mouth go dry and the sweat run freely from his paws; he did _not_ want to die today. "I… I… think… the best way to kill the cub is to… kill it! _Yeah! _Kill it!"

They stood there for a good few seconds before Sheikh's fierce green eyes finally got a flat look to them and she yawned. "Alright, Dhaifu. I have no reason _not_ to trust you. Do however you want with killing the queen and her cub. Just bring me the body of the cub as proof," Sheikh replied sleepily, as she sauntered to the end of the cave. She then turned one last time to the tormented male cheetah with a small smile. "Good day, Dhaifu."

"Yeah. You too… my leader."

* * *

_Heh, Sheikh has issues doesn't she ^^? A big thanks to everyone who voted and from the looks of five to one, I will be putting in Tanabi's Arc very soon!{ I wasn't expecting anybody to actually vote o_O}. Err not much to say but go review! _

_Names: _

_Dhaifu: Spineless_

_Ajizi: Indescision _


	18. Alliance

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

**Wanderer's Arc**

Chapter Eighteen-Alliance

* * *

"He's beautiful Kiara," Nala murmured softly to her daughter.

Kiara smiled at her mother before looking down fondly at the tiny ball of fluff that was snuggly curled up in a ball near her stomach. Her son was currently sleeping, his small back rising and falling as he slept. All Kiara could do was marvel at how tiny and perfect he was; unlike his siblings this cub was an early birth. Despite some initial worries about if he was even going to make it his first two nights, everything else had gone along smoothly.

The cub had the pelt of the golden sands of the Great Desert, a rich golden brown color that reminded Kiara of her late father. His little paws were a lighter creamer color and dark spots covered some of his backside and forehead. He had Kovu's nose and from the time he actually opened his eyes, had his father's eye color as well. Kiara beamed as she felt a gentle touch as her son slowly moved toward her elbow, eyes still closed.

"Heh, I wonder if Simba was this cute when he was born," Nala joked. Kiara laughed. "Have you thought of a name for him yet?"

"I was actually waiting for Rafiki to come back. Kovu and I hadn't really agreed on a name for this little one. The last time I talked to Kovu, we got into a fight over what to name her!"

The former queen shook her head amusedly. "I don't know what to do with the both of you. That's exactly what happened the last time with Tanabi and Ayira. My grandchildren went without names for a whole week because both of you couldn't agree on anything." Nala looked down at her grandson with a thoughtful look on her face for a minute before turning to Kiara. "How about naming this little one Chaka?"

"Chaka?" Kiara asked curiously.

"Yes, that would have been your name if you _were_ a boy." Nala replied with a smirk. "Your father was dead set on that name for a long time, all the way up to your birth." her smirked broadened. "He was so proud that he came up with a name so easily. I can still remember the look on your father's face when he found out he was having a little girl instead of a boy."

Kiara's hazel eyes lit up. "Well, I think Chaka is a perfect name. You hear that my little boy? I hope you like it." The tiny cub let out a huge yawn of approval and Kiara giggled.

The two lionesses sat there in silence for a few moments. The Tree of Life was a very peaceful place to be Kiara thought to herself as she watched the many contraptions of Rafiki's sway in the wind. From when she first set her paw in his home, Kiara was stuck at how beautiful the Tree was. She loved how light filtered out from the huge green canopy above them and the gentle clinking of the gourds that hung high above her by various vines. Though there wasn't much room to move around, Kiara often entertained herself with looking at the paintings of the royal family members.

A frown slowly came to her features; nothing inside of this mystical Tree could quell her worries and bad dreams. _I miss home. _Kiara thought to herself sadly as she lowered her head. She hated waiting. What was worse she hadn't heard anything from Kovu in the last week. Kiara longed to see her mate again, to be able to be by his side. To hear him laugh again and to actually talk to him and tell him everything would be okay. She missed hanging around Vitani and the other lionesses of the pride. She missed the hunts that they used to go on together.

But most of all she missed her cubs, Tanabi and Ayira. The night Ayira left, Kiara had a very hard time allowing herself to sleep. There were so many thoughts of what could happen to Ayira or what did happen to her…none of them were promising. _Ayira shouldn't be gone this long_, she continued to tell herself, almost as it became her mantra. _What if Ayira doesn't want to come home? _

Kiara stubbornly cursed herself for even thinking a stupid thing like that and sighed.

"What's wrong Kiara?" Nala asked her daughter out of worry. She put a paw to Kiara's forehead. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No mother…" Kiara said with another sigh. "I just…I just can't take any of this waiting. I need to know what's going on out there. I want to go home."

"I know baby, I know." Nala said soothingly, as she nuzzled her daughter's cheek. "Just hold on a little longer, everything will turn out fine. I promise."

Kiara pulled away, giving the light crème lioness an annoyed look." Stop telling me that! How can you be so calm about all of this? A war is going on and you just tell me that _everything_ will be okay? Nothing will be okay!"

"Kiara..." Nala said slowly. The light orange lioness averted her gaze and lowered her ears. "As long as we have hope and as long as we live, good things will come out of it."

"How do you know? How can you be sure about that?" Kiara asked sadly. Nala put a paw on her daughter's own and smiled, looking down at her grandson.

"Because I have faith in our pride and in our future. It's as simple as that."

...

Dhaifu stared out into the distance, his mind completely at war with his heart. This morning, at Sheikh's insistence, he had lead a group of six other cheetahs to find the queen of the Pridelands and end her life. Much to his relief, they hadn't found a trace of the queen yet, nor had any lionesses spotted them. He had taken his party further out than what Sheikh had ordered him to do and was praying to the spirits that they wouldn't find a pregnant lioness anytime soon.

"What's wrong with you Dhaifu?" a familiar voice called, startling him back to reality. He turned and found it was Ajizi, who was looking up at him with her scarred face. "Do you see something?"

"Nope! Not at all!" Dhaifu said quickly, his voice feigning cheerfulness. "Why do you ask?"

Ajizi raised an eyebrow. "You're a weird one you know that right? I can't believe my mother asked you of all cheetahs to lead this mission. I'm sorry to say Dhaifu, but you're too soft."

_Yeah, I'm also the only one who has a conscience here, _Dhaifu told himself before laughing outwardly. "You really think so?"

"I know so." Ajizi answered with a worried frown. "Dhaifu, don't even think about going against my mother's wishes. I'm warning you for your sake. Just do your job as you're told and forget about anything else."

Dhaifu nodded in agreement, noting the uncertainty in the female's good eye as she turned away from him. _She must be scared out of her wits, _Dhaifu thought to himself, feeling a pang of sympathy for Sheikh's daughter. The poor cheetah had been blinded in one eye and almost been killed by her mother just because she had done something kind for her fellow clan members.

Suddenly a powerful roar shook the air. Dhaifu and Ajizi spun around in horror, eyes wide.

"What was _that?_" Ajizi asked Dhaifu, her voice filled with concern mixed with awe.

"I dunno," the male cheetah replied, wincing as another powerful roar was heard this one much more longer than the first. The next thing the cheetahs heard was the distinctive sounds of yowling, setting off alarms in Dhaifu's mind. He started to panic. He knew what that sound was!

"C'mon, Dhaifu! We've gotta go!" Ajizi snapped at the bewildered male.

"Who, us? Are you crazy? That lioness is going to kill us!" Dhaifu cried out incredulously, looking at his companion like she was out of her mind.

Ajizi spat disgustedly at him, "Coward." With that Ajizi bolted toward the sound of the roars. Sighing, Dhaifu took off after his companion; there was no way that he was going to get left behind especially with the thoughts of lionesses in the area.

When Dhaifu finally caught up with Ajizi, he _couldn't_ believe what he saw. His companions were circled around the form of a young adolescent lion. The tawny lion was miraculously (just doesn't seem like the right word. How about "thoroughly" or maybe "brutally"?) incapacitated, dark blood pouring out from a grievous wound located near his stomach and multiple scars covered his upper torso. While he wasn't exactly fighting anymore, Dhaifu grimaced at the sight of the lion's face, which was contorted into the personification of fierceness. Great spirits help them if _he_ decided to come back to life.

"Is he…you _know_…dead?" Dhaifu asked nervously to the king cheetah on his right.

"Nah, we just knocked him out," a female answered with a self-satisfied smirk. "We've seen this one hanging around Pride Rock a lot, so we figured he'd give us some answers."

"Alright. Let's bring him back to mother. She'll know what to do with him," Ajizi suggested as she put one of the lion's legs in her mouth. The others nodded as they started to put in their mouths anything that they could in order to make it easier to drag along the ground.

A small, secretive smile came to Dhaifu's spotted muzzle. This was perfect.

When the group of cheetahs finally reached Sheikh's cave, the cave was surprisingly empty. There were no signs of any of her guardians nor of their great leader herself, but it was fairly obvious to Dhaifu that Sheikh had gotten bored with hiding in her cave all day long and had decided that everyone else was just as bored as she was. The only sign that gave away that Sheikh had just left was that the dead, rotting lioness that Sheikh had "played" with earlier was left unattended in the entrance. Dhaifu was unlucky to actually lock eyes with the unseeing ones of the lioness as he carefully stepped over her head. He quickly felt the taste of last night's dinner in his mouth.

They gently placed their prisoner on the ground near Sheikh's throne and collectively let out sighs of relief. Stretching out on the cool cave floor, Dhaifu closed his eyes in order to get the image of the lioness out of his head.

"Who told you to relax, Dhaifu?" Ajizi said, annoyed, poking him with a sharp claw in his side. "We have more work to do. Killing that cub remember?" When the male cheetah didn't answer her, Ajizi growled and stabbed her claws into his back, making him yelp in surprise.

"Ow! Ajizi, what was that for?" Dhaifu cried out as he sat up, frowning as he saw small specks of blood seeping from the scratches. Ajizi rolled her eye at him.

"Stop being such a pussy cat!" Ajizi snapped at Dhaifu. "You're supposed to be our leader. If you're going to be a male, at least act like one!"

"…But that _hurt!_"Dhaifu complained, drawing snickers from the other cheetahs in the group.

"Aw, be nice Ajizi," a female teased. "You don't know, Dhaifu might be _your _father one day!"

_Oh hell no! _Dhaifu thought horrified, his imagination cruelly painting mental pictures of him and Sheikh together as mates. If that happened, he would happily kill himself without a second thought.

"Shut up Nhaya," Ajizi ordered, daring the young cheetah to continue. "The rest of you c'mon, we're going to find the Queen ourselves. Dhaifu, since you're so bad at being a leader, stay here and keep watch over the lion. He's injured so you _can't_ mess this up."

Dhaifu was about to cry out that they couldn't just leave him there with the lion by himself, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Ajizi was obviously furious with him, and considering how bad her temper was, it was only seconds until she would attack him. He nodded wordlessly, allowing the group to go on without him. As the last one left the cave, Dhaifu let out a sigh of relief.

_Finally. They've left, _the male cheetah thought to himself as he stood up. _Now, I have to plan what I'm going to do. _

Dhaifu had never planned to go back out with the others in the first place. Before they had fought the lion, he was honestly thinking about defecting from the clan and living on his own. There was no way that Sheikh could expect him to do something that wicked for no reason other than being spiteful. Despite Dhaifu's original plans on leaving, he just couldn't follow through. Something was holding him back and planting doubts in his mind…that something was fear.

The male cheetah was never exactly a strong willed individual to begin with, and the knowledge that any of Sheikh's zealous followers could find him and drag him back to Sheikh was unnerving. He didn't want to die. The only thing Dhaifu could hope for was the lion would help give him an alibi so that Kovu would listen to him. That was the only way the male cheetah could see living in peace.

His prisoner started coughing, snapping Dhaifu from his deep thoughts. It was now or never.

...

Jelani slowly opened his eyes, frowning as he adjusted them to the surrounding darkness. He let out a pain-laced gasp as he felt a overwhelming pain from his side burst through, everything was hurting like crazy. The lion instantly felt a sticky, warm liquid as he tried to sit up and frowned as he smelled the stench of blood. The air around him was stuffy and the only source of light he could make out was a small crack in the dark sky. What happened to him?

Jelani could only remember bits and pieces of earlier that day. He had gone out to check up on Aunt Kiara just like Kovu had ordered him to. He hadn't tried to take any short cuts that would get him lost. The last thing he remembered was being ambushed by a cheetah, knocking it down just before another one came…and then another one…

_That's right! I blacked out, _Jelani thought, the familiar feeling of confusion washing over him. _Then why am I not dead? _He shook his head; that was the last thing he needed to think about right now. He needed to find out where he was and tell Kovu that there were cheetahs in the surrounding area. Jelani hissed as he tried to stand up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice piped up from out of nowhere, Jelani sharply turned his head towards the sound. Just then, a dark slender figure made its way toward him, cloaked in the shadows. Jelani narrowed his grey eyes in order to get a better look at the creature but as the sliver of light hit its spotted fur, he knew_ exactly_ what it was.

"Get away from me," Jelani snarled, backing up to the cave wall that was closest to him.

"Why? It's not like you can do anything to me," the male cheetah remarked as he stopped in front of Jelani, looking at him with a frown. "Are you part of Kovu's pride?"

"It's none of your damn business if I am or not!" Jelani retorted watching the cheetah intently, waiting for a sign of weakness. The cheetah let out a sigh.

"Sadly, it is more than you know." he said. "If you are, I have to warn you about something."

_Warn me? More like trick me! _Jelani thought sardonically with a scoff. "What makes you think I want to talk to a backstabbing feline like you?"

"Because this backstabbing feline has some very important information to give you," the male cheetah snapped back. "Sheikh is planning the murder of the Queen of the Pride Lands. We have scouts out looking for her as we speak."

Jelani's eyes widened. _Aunt Kiara? How the hell did Sheikh even know she was gone? _He literally felt his heart plummet down to his stomach. This was bad. "Then…why are you telling me this? What are you playing at?"

"I'm honestly not trying to trick you. Please believe me," The cheetah said sincerely, shaking his head. "I only wish I was making this up, but I'm not. You don't know how much I'm risking to tell you this information." Jelani continued to sit there dumbfounded as the cheetah came to his side, gently nudging him to stand. The lion let out a hiss as he felt another white hot pain across his chest, ignoring the dark pool of blood that had been collecting beneath him. Suddendly Jelani felt dizzy. The cheetah quickly caught on to this and allowed Jelani to lean on his shoulder for support.

"They really did carve you up pretty bad didn't they?" he murmured more to himself than Jelani. "We must hurry, Sheikh and the others will be back anytime soon…If she catches us…" The cheetah shuddered. "Never mind…I don't even wanna_ think _about it."

The adolescent lion nodded in agreement, gritting his teeth in pain as they started walking out of the cave. "I should thank you. Thanks to you we'll be able to protect Aunt Kiara."

Jelani's captor laughed dryly. "Please don't thank me. If we hadn't captured you, I would have just ran away. I figured having you as a bodyguard wouldn't be bad, considering Kovu would probably eat me alive if I showed up on his doorstep!"

Jelani had to smile at this. "Fair enough. My name is Jelani and you are?"

" Dhaifu."

...

"Aw, isn't this _wonderful_? Little Dhaifu has made a friend!" Sheikh snarled sweetly from the entrance, her green eyes flashing dangerously in the sun's golden light. The deranged smile she usually wore quickly twisted into a bloodthirsty one. "C'mon Dhaifu, it's time to die."

* * *

_Well, that's the end of chapter eighteen! Heh, I was hoping to finish the whole Cruelty thing within this chapter but I split it into two parts. Cruelty pt.3 will be up very very very soon and let me just say I personally think it will be the saddest chapter yet *sobs*. Anyways thanks to __**Hikari123, RunningWithTime728 **__and __**Prince of Pride **__for reviewing__**. **__Now go review or I won't put the next chapter up ^^. _


	19. Heaven's A Lie

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones**

**Wanderer's Arc**

Chapter Nineteen: Hellfire

* * *

Dhaifu and Jelani continued to walk through the cave, as fast as they could. Dhaifu made sure that he wasn't putting too much pressure on his injured companion. Even though Jelani hadn't complained about any of his wounds, it was more than obvious to Dhaifu that he was in pain.

_Heh, if I was in his situation I would've dropped dead by now. _Dhaifu thought to himself wryly as he exchanged looks with the tawny lion. He had to admire the lion's determination to save his aunt; it was interesting to say the least. The cheetah had never met a creature like that… well not in his clan anyways. They were raised to only think as a unit and have no real personal relationships.

A small smile formed on Dhaifu's muzzle as he saw the cave's entrance in the distance. They only had a bit further to go, just a few more minutes and then they would finally be able to warn Kovu. For the first time in the cheetah's short life, he had never been so _happy _to see the exit.

"Hey, we're almost through," Dhaifu told his lion friend encouragingly. Abruptly, Jelani stopped walking and pushed off of Dhaifu's shoulder.

"I'm not so sure about that," Jelani replied in a hushed tone, his grey eyes wide from shock. He slowly backed away from Dhaifu, keeping his terrified gaze stuck in front of him. Confused, Dhaifu turned his head away from the lion to see what exactly was freaking him out.

And wished he hadn't…

There she was, sitting on her throne and glaring at them with those dangerous emerald eyes. Sheikh was exuding a dark, threatening mood. The worst thing was her huge, twisted, _creepy _smile. There was no emotion in it at all, and when placed with the murderous glint in her eyes, it was very obvious to Dhaifu that she had snapped.

All he could do was shake his head in total disbelief. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. Sheikh _had _left with her half of the clan… How the hell did she come back without Dhaifu knowing? He didn't even hear her come in or anything like that… but how?

"Why are you shaking your head like that Dhaifu?" Sheikh asked, her voice eerily calm. "Don't you want me?"

"How? How...did you?"Dhaifu asked hoarsely. He gulped past an obstruction in his throat. "How did you get back here so quickly?"

"It's called walking. But I doubt you will be doing any of that in the near future," Sheikh growled, narrowing her eyes in disgust. "I'm glad Ajizi informed me about her doubts in you before I came in. Don't try to deny it, we heard everything… Isn't that right my family?"

As if on cue, Sheikh's half of the clan slowly appeared out of the shadows, one by one. Each cheetah stood behind her, fixing their steely eyes on their intended target. There were no signs of emotion in any of their faces at all, almost like they were empty shells. By the time they all had gathered around in front of Sheikh, Dhaifu had counted at least twelve cheetahs in all. If Dhaifu wasn't so worried about keeping his dignity, he would have started bawling by now.

_Shit! She's going to kill me!_ Dhaifu cursed to himself, his mind and heart screaming at him to stop being so stupid and run away. He stood, paralyzed; his fear of Sheikh completely had him in its grasp. He could hear his heart thundering loudly in his ears. It was over for him.

For the next few moments, time seemed to have stopped moving for everyone. No one dared breathe or make a sound for fear of incurring Sheikh's wrath any further. The atmosphere was thick with tension. For a while Dhaifu was convinced he was going to slowly die under Sheikh's persisting glare.

"_Sheikh_," Jelani inaudibly murmured beside the male cheetah. Dhaifu chanced a look at the young lion beside him. Jelani's stormy grey eyes were wavering back and forth on Sheikh, his lips pursed together like he wanted to say more. The next thing Dhaifu knew, the tawny lion suddenly flinched as if he was struck by some unseen force.

"YOU BITCH!" Jelani roared with all of his might, charging blindly at Sheikh. Dhaifu watched in utter horror as his fellow clan-members instinctively made a protective circle around their leader. They wasted no time in attacking Jelani as he tried to break through. At first Jelani was hacking his way through the cheetahs, throwing his forepaws in mighty arcs in any which way in order to hit someone. Though he was strong and was able to take out a few of them, a cheetah was finally able to jump on to his body and bite down on his neck, making Jelani roar out in pain. More and more started piling on top of him, Dhaifu gasping as he saw Jelani go under. A couple more seconds later, the barrage of spots dispersed with Jelani lying on the ground before Sheikh, completely powerless.

Jelani let out a pain laced roar and he struggled underneath the remaining cheetahs who had lain on top of him for good measure. "I'll _kill_ you! I'll _kill_ you! I'll _kill_ you!" he repeated fervently, trembling in pure rage.

"Says the one who is under_ my _mercy," Sheikh said, her voice venomously soft. She watched the lion pathetically writhe on the ground with a cold, impassive look on her face. The leader turned her attention to Dhaifu. "Chafua, Uchama, restrain Dhaifu."

Dhaifu's eyes widened as he realized that she was talking about _him_. He quickly turned to run away. He only went a couple of steps before Uchama tackled him to the ground. Dhaifu let out a yelp of pain as the back of his head was slammed into the ground and he heard his ears ringing. He then felt his throat tightening as Chafua put her paw onto his throat and started putting pressure on it.

"You must think I am stupid!" Sheikh hissed fiercely as she jumped out of her throne, she then started walking towards Dhaifu fire alight in her eyes. "What the _hell _were you thinking Dhaifu? What made you think I wouldn't find out about this?"

"I… don't know. I—I wasn't thinking." Dhaifu replied with uncertainty in his voice, he felt his body trembling with worry. Sheikh let out a horrible loud yowl at him.

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" the clan leader screamed at the male cheetah, her mask of feigning cheerfulness completely shattered. Dhaifu let out a pitiful cry as she slammed her paw down next to his head. She then shoved a confused Chafua out of her way and pushed her other paw straight into Dhaifu's soft throat.

Suddenly Dhaifu felt his airway being abruptly cut off and, to his horror, he couldn't breathe at all. He started coughing and gagging for the tiniest bit of air as Sheikh's grip of his throat tightened even more. Dhaifu tried to fight against the female in a panic while gasping for air, hot humiliating tears blurring his vision.

_I can't breathe! I can't even get her off of me! _the cheetah screamed in his mind, as he continued to thrash wildly. In his peripheral vision, none of his so-called family dared move an inch, but rather watched impassively as he struggled for his life. A feeling of light headedness came over him and then his senses became fuzzy. Within seconds, the male cheetah's body went limp and the sounds of choking stopped.

Sheikh slowly moved away from Dhaifu's lifeless body. At first, she examined him with curiosity. A strained, funny sound came from her throat, and then another one. Her trademark smile came back to her face and her shoulders shook slightly as she let out a childish giggle. Sheikh then threw her head back, laughing uncontrollably as if she had found something hilarious. The hollow sound rang through the silence of the cave and struck fear into all that inhabitited in it.

"Oh ho! Oh ho! This too much!" The female cheetah exclaimed finally in between another fit of laughter as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Dhaifu always knew how to make me laugh!"

"You are a seriously fucked-up cheetah," Jelani finally spat in disgust from his spot on the ground. The act of seeing the poor, heroic cheetah's life being snuffed out made Jelani's blood boil even more. He cursed himself silently for not being able to come to Dhaifu's aid. _No one _deserved to die like that. "What do you want from us? What makes you _hate_ our pride so much that you would start a war?"

She giggled childishly again. "I love the thrill of it all! The killing, the blood and the sorrow! I enjoy watching that bastard Kovu suffer!" When Jelani started snarling at her, Sheikh rolled her eyes in annoyance. "_Wait_, why should I justify any of my actions to an inferior creature like yourself? You're obviously too stupid to comprehend."

"Because I'm not psycho like you are, Sheikh!" He snapped in retaliation, not missing a beat. Jelani couldn't believe what he was hearing, there was no way in hell she could possibly be serious. She was willing to wipe out a whole lion pride and sacrifice her clan members just for the _fun _of it? He prayed his uncle would not take her so lightly… She was clearly someone who was dangerous and unstable. "You claim that we are the cruel, unjust ones, yet you want to kill us for _fun_? Who exactly is in the wrong here? I haven't heard anything from your mouth yet to prove me otherwise!"

The cheetah flashed her yellow teeth at him, her soft voice literally dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, _yes_ that's right! The Pridelands have never suffered under your pride's reign! Or perhaps you have forgotten Scar? That was great leadership there! Or the time when lions burned down _most_ of our land! All you stupid pathetic creatures know how to do is destroy and create wars!"

"That was in the past and you know that!" Jelani cried out incredulously, disgusted that she would even bring that up. No one in the kingdom was allowed to whisper _anything_ the royals had buried in the past."You weren't even born in the times of Scar! How can even you try to point that out?"

"His demon offspring is all the proof I need! Kovu _murdered_ my father, condemned him without a fair trial! He was the leader of our clan! My father was clearly out of his mind, and yet no one took that into consideration!"

"He tried to _kill _Tanabi and Ayira! Your father tried to kill two small cubs, how dare you even brush that aside?" the tawny lion almost screamed at her, wincing in pain as his wound started acting up again. Jelani was shaking with rage; it was trying to envelop him. He could swear he could feel tears coming to his eyes. Because of her father, they lost Simba, the closest thing Jelani knew to a grandfather. Because of _her_ father, Ayira was almost killed that day and was never the same again. Because of _her_ father, his best friend Tanabi left the Pridelands and never came back. Jelani shook his head in anger, there was no forgiveness in that.

Sheikh snarled. Jelani was actually starting to get a rise in her nerves. "_Your_ precious princess Ayira murdered my brother! I won't even let you try and deny that! I saw her with my own eyes!"

_Ayira? _Jelani thought in horror before he quickly tried to wipe that thought out of his mind. He knew Ayira, there was no way she could ever bring herself to harm someone, much less kill them. "You're lying!"

"What other orange lioness do you know with two long scars around her neck?" Sheikh asked Jelani. There was no spite or hatred in her voice. It almost sounded sincere. "We were hunting in the field and she came and _ambushed_ us. My brother fought valiantly against her but she was too strong. When she was done with him, Ayira was _covered_ in his blood and there was nothing left of him!"

Jelani's eyes widened; he remembered a while back… he had found Ayira trying to wash off the dark blood from her pelt. It was so bad that it had started to turn the pool red. Jelani had just thought Ayira had found a good kill that day, but after that day she started acting more distant than usual and pretty jumpy. _No… No she couldn't have… Ayira wouldn't… She couldn't have…_

Sheikh had a triumphant look on her face as she saw him come to the realization. She looked at Jelani with a sigh. "Your empty words bore me, young cub." A small, cunning smile made its way to her spotted muzzle. "Why, I believe it's time for the _real_ fun to begin." She walked up to the furious Jelani and towered over him menacingly. Sheikh then leaned slightly forward to peer into her captive's face. "You are going to tell me where the Queen is hiding."

"Now doesn't that sound fun?" the tawny lion retorted, mimicking Sheikh's exact tone of voice. "If you want her so bad, go find her yourself."

Sheikh's smile melted off of her face and in an instant she slapped Jelani clear across his face, her extended claws raking across the bridge of his nose. Jelani let out a hiss of pain as his head whipped around. As he turned around back to face her, blood started leaking from the small cuts on his left cheek and nose.

"I won't ask you again," the leader snapped. "Where is she?"

Jelani smirked and spit the blood in his mouth right back at Sheikh's face. While it had made its target, rolling down her cheek, Sheikh barely batted an eyelash. She then smacked him again in retaliation, this time much harder, and didn't stop when Jelani cried out in pain. She gave another blow and then another, cutting deeper and deeper into his injuries. He let out an agonizing roar as he felt his fur and some skin start to tear off from her sharp claws. It didn't stop Sheikh; instead she continued to claw at his face, making sure each time she raked down, she did it as painfully as possible.

Jelani tried to keep his mouth shut to keep the screams from coming, but with each white-hot pain becoming more and more intense, he just couldn't stop himself. It was so painful! He tried to writhe away from Sheikh's paws but the cheetahs on top of him were too heavy to knock off. The tawny lion instinctively closed his eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jelani let out a bone-chilling scream as someone kicked him hard right where the wound on his stomach was and his grey eyes quickly flew open. Specks of blood came out of his mouth from the impact and he started coughing violently.

"I'm not playing with you any more lion!" Sheikh announced as she stopped carving into his face, her paws completely drenched in Jelani's blood. "I will ask you one more time: _where_ is the Queen?"

Jelani glared at her defiantly, grateful for a break in the attacks. The whole left side of his face looked like something at a butcher's. Dark streaks of blood mingled in with some pink tissue. The fur Jelani did have was almost nonexistent except for a couple of patches around his eye. Some of his dark mane was matted onto the left side of his face and the worst of the wounds was a long cut that ran along the bridge of his nose, while some of the fleshy parts of his lip were torn as well. He panted heavily and in pain. He wanted so bad to just throw up everything he had on Sheikh, but couldn't… Jelani felt himself growing tired, but he would be damned if Sheikh was going to get any information from him!

The clan leader glared at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"You know something, Sheikh? Your eyes _are_ beautiful," Jelani replied mockingly, a mischievous, proud grin on his muzzle. That was the snapping point for Sheikh, whose face quickly turned dark with fury and she lunged at him with full intent of killing him right then and there. Jelani held his breath waiting for her attack… but it never came.

"Mother! Mother!" Ajizi cried out hastily as she scrambled into the cave, almost tripping over her own feet. "Mother! We have found the Queen! The group is preparing at the Elephant Graveyard as we speak! They're going to burn down the tree where they found them!"

_**Shit! **_Jelani screamed at himself, his mind freezing in terror. The tawny lion started to panic and started struggling with all of his might, clawing at the ground desperately to get the cheetahs off of him. He was just too weak from blood loss, and the more he struggled, the more tired he became. Sheikh's hysterical laughter was the only thing he could hear, and at that point he realized it was hopeless.

"Aha! Hahahahahahaha! Hahaha!" she cackled evilly before a malevolent, dark smile graced her lips one more time. Sheikh faced Jelani who was now in tears and scoffed at the adolescent lion. "_We've won young lion. _I won't kill you… no that'll be too easy. I'll just let you lie there and rot with your despair eating away at you. You won't ever see the sun again or your precious little pride, and when you die, I will devour that pathetic body of yours!"

OooO

Nala reluctantly opened her tired eyes and exhaled a soft sigh; it was _still_ night outside. It seemed like she couldn't get a decent night's sleep ever since Chaka was born. This had nothing to do with the small cub; it was more like the former Queen felt restless in her sleep. She carefully sat up making sure she wouldn't stir the peaceful Kiara beside her.

Something strange caught Nala's senses and she cautiously sniffed the night air. A frown came to her lovely features.

..._Smoke?_ she thought to herself in confusion. The air smelled warm and muggy, almost as if something was burning nearby. The light crème lioness decided to take a look outside of the tree to see what was going on.

In the distant inky darkness, a giant looming smoke cloud enveloped the sky while light colored flames crackled and danced along the ground. Nala gasped, backing up from her position in the tree. _When…_how_ did this happen? _

The first fear that shot through her heart was that the fire had spread anywhere near Pride Rock and she fervently hoped that the pride was doing okay. A few more lights caught the corner of her vision and she looked down the base of the tree. What she saw made her eyes widen in horror. There they were: cheetahs with burning sticks in their mouths, racing straight towards their haven. The beige lioness felt a deafening thump of her heart and she sat there, absolutely paralyzed.

_We have to get out of here! _Nala snapped at herself, barely containing the panic attack she was about to have. A million thoughts were racing in the poor lioness' mind, but the one that kept popping up was Kiara and Chaka's safety. They would die if she didn't think of something soon.

Instinctively, Nala twisted around to face her sleeping daughter. "Wake up, Kiara!" The former queen cried out as loud as she could. Whether Kiara would react to that, Nala didn't care as she started to roughly shake her by her shoulders. "C'mon girl!_ Wake up!" _

Kiara slowly opened her eyes, still glossy and full of sleep. "Wha…?"

"Get up Kiara!" Nala demanded quickly, nudging the tired lioness into sitting up. She grimaced as the smell of smoke got thicker from inside the tree. "We _have_ to get out of here! Sheikh's clan has found us!"

The orange lioness was now fully awake and gaped at Nala in horror. "How did they find us?"

Nala shook her head. "There is no time for that! We must take Chaka and get out of here!"

It had only taken a split second for Kiara to react; she snatched up the sleeping newborn by the nape of his neck and nodded to her mother that she was ready to leave. The two lionesses jumped out of the tree, from the instant they hit the ground, they ran as fast as their legs could carry them and wouldn't stop. Without either realizing it, a few cheetahs had taken off after them in hot pursuit.

Nala's mind was in an complete whirlwind of terror as the fire's destruction behind her blurred by as she ran. She could hear the crackling sound of the flames drawing closer, burning and ripping across the plains like it was nothing. She tried to keep up with her daughter, who was a short distance in front of her, running in a blind panic. _We have to go faster, at this rate the flames will catch up to us! _

A sharp sensation broke her out of her focus and the beige lioness let out a surprised roar. _What the…? _

She felt the weight of someone else trying to pin her down and the next thing Nala saw was a cheetah speeding past her towards Kiara. The former queen whipped around and bit down hard on the enemy on top of her, using her powerful jaws to rip into the cheetah's shoulder. The cheetah let out a yowl of pain and let go of its grip on Nala, which allowed her to throw the cheetah off of her back.

"KIARA!" Nala screamed, terrified.

Kiara stopped running at the shrillness of her mother's voice and turned around, but soon realized this split second decision would cost her life. She gasped as a cheetah lunged at her and she shut her eyes in fear. This was it for her and Chaka, she knew it. But the pain and her death didn't come as her mother had deftly intercepted the cheetah's tackle and had it pinned to the ground.

"Kiara! Don't just stand there! Get _out_ of here!" Nala snarled in frustration. She was wrestling with the cheetah, trying her hardest to keep it at bay as she dug her claws into the ground. "I'll handle these two!"

Tears started to form in the young mother's bright eyes and she slowly shook her head in disbelief and reluctance, she _couldn't_ leave her mother! Nala snapped at her more forcefully, "_Now_, before it's too late!"

Kiara recoiled from her mother's harsh tone but did as she was told. Nala let out a sigh of relief as she saw her daughter running away. At least she and Chaka would be safe, that mattered more than her own survival or safety. The beige lioness pressed down as hard as she could on the cheetah's neck, snarling viciously down at it.

She had a duty to protect her daughter at all cost and that meant doing what ever it took to ensure it. Those cheetahs had nothing more to worry about Kovu ruling the kingdom any longer because Nala was going to silence them and their hatred. _Permanently._

* * *

_*slow clap*_ _How was that for an ending? Will Nala and Kiara reunite or will Nala meet her demise at the paws of the cheetahs...hmm I guess you'll have to read further to find out XD. _

_There is hope left for the Pridelands and it now rests with Tanabi and Ayira...the next chapter will kick off the start of Tanabi's Arc. This final Arc will answer if either one of them will take their destiny as rulers of the Pridelands or they will turn their backs on their home and allow everything to fall apart. Only time will tell..._

_A big thanks to __**Prince of Pride, Pigs Go Moo, RunningWithTime728, raekafajrajo **__and __**Kivulinduli **__for reviewing{ thanks to my beta __**Kovukono **__as well}! And for the rest of you, go review. Not updating until you do ^^_

_Names:_

_Chaka: Hot season_

_Chafua: To taint _

_Uchama: Filth _


	20. Bonding

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones**

**Tanabi's Arc**

Chapter Twenty: Bonding

_Disclaimer- I don't own the song Noyana, it belong to Lebo M...but it's not like you readers give a damn right ^^?_

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The harsh wind blew against the struggling members of the Shadow Pride as they continued to walk to their destination. Icy cold rain pelted them while booming thunder could be heard overhead. Tanabi gritted his teeth as his wet mane hit him in his face again; he instinctively closed his eyes and turned his head away. He officially thought that Kufuru was an idiot.

Despite the clear warning that a storm was coming, the king urged the rest of the pride to move on. Tanabi had noted how dark the sky was getting, but was ignored for the simple fact that no one wanted to stay in that horrible desert any longer. Now the ex-prince wished he could take it back. He would _happily_ chase after vultures for the rest of his life than die in the storm.

"There's a cave up ahead! Just push on a little further!" the charcoal-colored lion almost yelled at the rest of the pride from the front of the line, his voice sounding muffled over the sound of the thunder.

"You better be telling the truth Kufuru!" Naima spat in frustration, the light crème lioness stumbled a bit bumping into Tanabi who was behind her. "Sorry Gwala!"

"It's fine!" he quickly replied back, trying his hardest not to sound sarcastic, gently nudging her off of him. Tanabi didn't know how far behind he was compared to everyone else, but he didn't care; his mission was to make sure no one else got lost. The job was self-appointed because he didn't want anyone to die in the storm, and so far the brown lion was doing a pretty good job.

The cave that Kufuru had mentioned was small, but no one seemed to have the energy to complain. In fact, by the time Tanabi reached it, everyone had hid in the far reaches of the back, shivering and in fear. Tanabi tiredly leaned against a wall near the mouth of the cave, watching the heavens wreak havoc on everything in their path. The stagnant clouds were completely a dark grey color, glowing white in the distance, presumably from lightning.

_Heh, I haven't seen a bad one like this since I was a cub__,_ the ex-prince mused to himself, a frown coming to his muzzle. That was probably why he was so calm despite everything; the last time he and Jelani had almost drowned in a river because of their stupidity, so anything else seemed pretty tame in comparison.

"Looks like it won't be stopping for a while, huh?" Someone said softly beside him, snapping Tanabi out of his fascination with the weather. It was Naima. The lioness was completely drenched from the rain. Her normally off-white pelt seemed to look grey now and her tuft seemed to be stuck to her forehead. If Tanabi wasn't so tired, he would have found Naima's new look hilarious.

"Yeah," Tanabi murmured, thoughtfully not knowing what else to her. She gave him a warm smile.

"You should come into the cave more, so you won't catch a cold," Naima replied amusedly. "I know you're a big tough lion and all, but I know you must be freezing. C'mon, sit with us. I promise I _will_ behave this time."

The ex-prince cracked a slight smile, she had a point. Suddenly a white bolt of lightning struck the ground a few feet in front of them and a huge deafening boom quickly followed. Both Tanabi and Naima's eyes grew huge in awe.

"Whoa," was Tanabi's intelligent reply; he had felt his heart skip a beat. That was the first time he had ever been that close to lightning before, and he fervently thanked the gods that it wasn't him standing there. The others had gasped in horror and some cubs started crying, their mothers officially freaked out by the display.

Taking this as a warning sign to move away from the entrance of the cave, Tanabi turned around to leave. "That was pretty cool huh?" he quipped to his female companion. But instead of getting a snarky response like he had expected, Naima was silent. Tanabi frowned worriedly. "Naima?"

The lioness's lavender eyes were huge and her pupils had dilated from fright, her teeth chattering nervously. She was still concentrated on the spot where the lightning had struck, almost as if she was paralyzed. Tanabi smiled wryly; the poor thing was afraid of lightning.

"It's okay now, Naima," the brown lion said softly amused as she shook her head. He gently nudged her. "C'mon, let's go. You'll be a lot safer in the cave."

Naima wrinkled her nose at him in disgust, snapping out of it. "I _hate_ lightning," she replied as she turned around, only to take another skeptical peek at the outside, as if to tell it to leave her alone. 'Why does it even exist anyways? Just for the spirits to mess with us and laugh?"

"Yep," Tanabi replied reflexively, earning an annoyed look from Naima. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her, Naima_ knew _better than to ask a rhetorical question around him.

The cave was almost pitch-black even with the dim light from the cave entrance and very warm. It seemed most of the Shadow Pride had bunched up together for comfort and Tanabi found it too crowded for his liking. He hated others touching him or getting too close; it was a pet peeve he developed shortly after the death of his grandfather. The brown lion hated the feeling of someone's hot breath on his neck or the feeling of someone bumping elbows into his side. Too bad for him; there was hardly any room anywhere else for him to be isolated.

"I hate you." Tanabi growled under his breath at Naima, as someone accidently hit his left side for the fourth time and once again a small cub started whimpering in his ear. Naima grinned brightly at him.

"Get over it Gwala. You need to be more sociable. Say it with me, _so-ci__-__a-ble_."

"I _hate_ you."

"I know, you already said that," the light colored lioness said teasingly, sticking her tongue out at him. Tanabi sighed and buried his head under his paws.

"Go ahead keep on messing with Gwala, sis," Gunju piped up from beside her. "If he hits you, I'm going to laugh."

"I didn't know you were part of this conversation, Gunju," Naima retorted as the mane less lion shrugged his lithe shoulders.

"And I thought a conversation was between two people. You're the only one talking, Naima," Gunju shot back teasingly, his violet eyes dancing mischievously. "If you had kept your voice down, maybe I wouldn't have said anything."

"I was keeping my voice down. It isn't my fault my voice carries," Naima said nonchalantly. She looked down curiously at the small ball of fluff in Gunju's paws. "Is he asleep _yet_?"

"His name is Chiumbo," Gunju shot back at her, offended, as he lovingly nuzzled the small crying cub. Chiumbo was Gunju's son and the spitting image of him, except for his tiny white paws and muzzle which he got from his deceased mother.

"I'm scared Daddy," Chiumbo squeaked pathetically, his big violet eyes shining with unshed tears. "I wanna go home."

"We don't have a home remember? Kufuru made us leave."

The small cub hiccuped again. "But why Daddy?"

"I don't know, Son," Gunju replied, his voice distant. Chiumbo started crying again, this time much louder. Tanabi sat up in annoyance and groaned. Was he ever going to get any sleep?

"Way to go, genius!" Naima replied, smacking Gunju upside his head. "I can't believe you made him cry again!"

"What?" Gunju complained. "What was I supposed to do? Lie to him?"

"Yes!"

_This family has issues. _Tanabi thought instantly, eying the two siblings and letting out a yawn. Even though he was well past annoyed with Chiumbo's tears, he understood perfectly how jarring leaving the home was. It only made the ex-prince more curious as to what exactly the pride was looking for, because the paradise they were looking for couldn't possibly exist in real life. Was the blind adulation of Kufuru's vision simply a way to cope with losing their former kingdom?

The brown lion frowned even more. How could anyone in their sane mind believe in Kufuru like that? With the exception of Naima, no one seemed to really question Kufuru or their god Jabari. Tanabi shook off his thoughts; he was an outsider who barely lived a full month with them, and here he was judging the very lion who accepted him without any second thoughts. This was his home now and he should be more open minded, not cynical about everything.

An idea popped into Tanabi's mind when Gunju tried to soothe the crying Chiumbo with soft shh-ing noises. He turned to Naima who was trying to keep Chiumbo from crying as well.

"Do you know any lullabies you could sing to him?" Tanabi asked curiously. "Any songs?"

Naima gave the prince a look. "What do I look like Gwala? His mother?" She then started looking thoughtful. "Well… I do sorta know one. But… I don't know all the words to it."

"Try it, then." Tanabi replied simply as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Fine. Gunju, hand 'im over."

"What? No! Can't you see I'm trying to make him sleep over here?" Gunju said tiredly, still rocking Chiumbo.

"And you're doin' a great job," Naima retorted sarcastically as her brother reluctantly gave his son to her. The small light brown cub pitched another fit worse than the first time and Tanabi cringed as he started to flail around, crying harder.

"_Shh. Shh, hey now_," the lioness whispered soothingly, her voice taking on a motherly tone. She slowly started stroking Chiumbo's tuft on his head and started singing, her voice calm.

_Sikuyo {We are}_

_Indlela {On the path}_

_Yelizwi {Of the voice}_

_Lobomi {Of righteousness}_

The small cub stopped crying and looked up at Naima with wide eyes. Tanabi smiled at how gentle and pretty Naima's voice sounded. He would have never known that the loudmouthed lioness had a good singing voice. The words of the song were soothing and beautiful and Tanabi found himself at peace. His eyelids started drooping and he let out a yawn.

_Ikhaya labantu (Home to people)_

_Behleli ngendweba (__Who live in peace)_

_Nina ka __(Some of you)_

_Nehluka (__Are different)_

_Kuthixo (__In the eyes of God)_

_Ngo kona __(Because of your sins)_

_Nhitini __(What are you going to say?)_

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Chiumbo, seeing the older lion yawn, opened his cute little mouth and yawned in return. He slowly snuggled closer in the crook of Naima's right forearm to get comfortable. The ex-prince laid his head down on his own paws, watching Naima dreamily as he yawned again.

_Noyana, noyana (__Are you going? Are you going?)_

_Nithini noyana (__What do you say? Are you going?)_

_Noyana, noyana (__Are you going? Are you going?)_

_Nithini noyana (__What do you say? Are you going?)_

_Noyana phezulu (__Are you going up there?)_

The light colored lioness stopped singing and smiled warmly at the sleeping Chiumbo who was currently curled up in a ball. She licked the top of his head affectionately, wishing him a good sleep. "I did pretty good, huh Gwala?" Naima whispered to the brown lion beside her. She wasn't expecting a response or was going to get one in return, as Tanabi had already fallen asleep, snoring lightly, his face completely at peace.

Naima giggled to herself. _Good night to you too, Gwala_.

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_Aww, wasn't that sweet ^^? Tanabi won't think so when he wakes up...so yeah that's all I have to say about this chapter. Thanks to **raekafajrajo, Pigs Go Moo, Prince of Pride **and especially **Kiara32** for the beautiful artwork she did of Tanabi and Ayira. As usual, the rest of you go review ^^._

_Names: _

_Chiumbo: Small_


	21. Kwetu

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones **

**Tanabi's Arc **

Chapter Twenty One: Kwetu

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" Up, up up Gwala!"

Tanabi moaned grumpily and quickly turned away from the horrid, cheerful voice that belonged to Naima. The lioness laughed lightly as she walked to the other side of him, leaning close into his face.

" C'mon Gwala! It's morning! It's time to rise and shine!" Naima explained in a sing-song voice, incessantly poking the brown lion on his shoulder in hopes of waking him.

"Don't you have anything else to do?" Tanabi grated as he buried his face into his forearms, hoping that if he withdrew from her, she would just up and leave. There was no way he was going to wake up. Naima just grinned slyly at him.

"Oh, okay… I guess I could just tell Kufuru that his favorite lackey of the week doesn't want to be part of the pride's activities for the mornin'." Naima replied teasingly, swinging her tail back and forth idly. "I mean he did seem _so_ interested in you and he has been asking about you _allllllll_ morning and I'm pretty sure he'd be really, really, really, really disappointed. D'you know how disappointed he would be? He'd be very, very, very-----"

"Can you shut up now?" Tanabi cut her off tersely, glaring at the crème lioness as he sat up. "Your voice is annoying."

"At least it got you to wake up," Naima replied with a smirk as Tanabi rolled his ruby colored eyes at her. She then yawned widely and stretched out. "Most of the pride has already left to have a look around. Except for _you_."

_And I care….why? _The ex-prince retorted inside his head and quickly sighed. He was trying not to think sarcastic or mean thoughts whenever he was around the lioness, but it was near impossible. She was a bit immature and acted too much like a cub.

"C'mon Gunju is waiting for us outside. You know how cranky Chiumbo gets when he has to sit for too long," Naima said, turning her back to Tanabi and starting to slowly walk away. Sighing tiredly to himself, the brown lion followed after her.

Sure enough, Gunju and his son were waiting outside of cave entrance looking absolutely bored out of their minds. As soon as Tanabi and Naima walked out of the entrance, Gunju cracked an apologetic smile towards Tanabi.

"Good morning Gwala," The maneless lion said cheerfully, albeit in a nervous manner. Tanabi inwardly sighed, there was no reason for Gunju to be afraid of him. It wasn't like he was going to eat him or anything like that.

"Daddy, I wanna go now!" Chiumbo whined beside him, squirming around impatiently.

" Yeah, _Daddy_," Naima taunted teasingly, mimicking Chiumbo. Gunju shot her an unimpressed look.

"And, where exactly do you want to go? We can't go too far; Chiumbo will get tired."

"Whatever. Let him get tired, it builds character. I say we go to that huge wall over there," Naima replied as she pointed to the rock wall in the distance. It wasn't that high, as you could still see a major portion of the sky. The three males quickly gave Naima dubious looks.

_She woke me up to go look at a stupid wall? _Tanabi thought sarcastically, shaking his head._ Way to go Naima! _

"Aww, c'mon guys! It'll be fun, _trust_ me," the ever optimistic lioness said with a grin.

In Tanabi's mind, there was nothing special about their supposed new home. It was like any other place he had been to: lots of mixed colored grass and the same typical animals that grazed along the plains. While there were some hills here and there, that was about all that this place had going for it. The only thing that actually caught the ex-prince's attention was the high rock walls that circled around the outside borders almost as if it had tried to enclose everything in this one specific spot. But the walls were wide as they were long, so it seemed to stretch out farther than what the eye could see. It made Tanabi question how they actually got _inside_ the walls, but figured there must have been a hole somewhere that he had missed. After all, it was really dark last night from the storm and he was too exhausted to care at that point.

The four companions stopped at a small pond to rest, both Tanabi and Gunju had taken the time to sit down and rest despite Naima's complaints. Little Chiumbo quickly took chase to a butterfly that had been flying around, hopping in the grass like a rabbit. Tanabi watched him amusedly; the cub was just too slow to catch up with the insect.

"Don't go out too far Chiumbo! Stay where I can see you!" Gunju cried out nervously as Naima plopped down beside her brother in a huff.

"Let him go. You act like he's getting ready to fall off a cliff," the lioness replied nonchalantly, blowing her bangs up absent-mindedly.

"Of course, he's my precious little son," Gunju told her, smiling. "He's the cutest, sweetest most precious thing in the whole entire world. I have to make sure nothing hurts him."

"You're going to smother him like that," Naima pointed out.

"It's okay little sis, you don't have to be jealous. I love you too," Gunju replied smugly as he tried to lick his younger sister's cheek.

Naima jumped up in disgust glowering at him. "Eww, you freak!" she cried out before frowning. "You know something, between you and Gwala over there, you two most be the most boring lions who ever lived!"

"Whoo hoo. Nobody told you to drag us along with you." Tanabi replied flatly with a yawn.

"That's it! I had enough of you both just sitting there!" Naima replied as she walked into the small pond of water, the water barely going passed her paws. "I'm going to teach you both how to have fun."

"Have fun. We hope you drown."

Naima smirked at Tanabi's comment and quickly swiped her paw to the side, the icy cold water hitting both Gunju and Tanabi. Gunju let out a gasp as Naima started laughing.

"Naima, what was that for?!" the maneless lion complained, sputtering.

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry. You didn't like that?" The lioness asked coyly, before her smirk broadened. "How 'bout some more?" She then proceeded to splash around, soaking the two lions again with the cold water. Tanabi closed his eyes and grimaced; the water was freezing.

"C'mon Gwala. Let's see you smile!" Naima cackled again, tilting her head back with a haughty look, daring him to go after her. But Tanabi wasn't going to be baited by the childish lioness and just glowered at her, his patience wearing thin. She laughed again as she started the splashing again.

"Naima… Naima… I… would stop that… if I were you!"

"Pipe down Gunju! If Gwala's gonna be that stupid and just sit there, he deserves it!"

"But….b-but--"

Finally Tanabi's eyes flashed and he quickly retaliated, splashing the lioness in the face right back, a bit harder than he intended. Naima reeled back and started coughing; almost going slack jawed in surprise. A grin came to Tanabi's light brown muzzle at her reaction.

"What? If you're gonna dish it out you should be able to take it," the ex-prince replied, his grin becoming wider. "So… you going do something about it or what?"

"Yeah. That's the spirit Gwala!" Naima exclaimed cheerfully as she tried to get Tanabi who dodged her next attack, playfully splashing the side of her making her shriek in surprise. She tripped him, making Tanabi fall forward into the pond. He laughed slightly as the lioness started splashing him with water again near his face.

"You didn't think you could get away that easily, did you Gwala?" Naima teased as Tanabi shook his mane out. He then stood up, growling playfully at her.

"I'll give you till the count of three to run for your life."

"Make that two," she said with a giggle as she jumped away from the ex-prince, running forward to the rock wall. Tanabi smiled amusedly as he quickly took chase after her.

"…What are they doing Daddy?" Chiumbo asked with curiosity as he watched the two.

"_That_, my son, is called flirting," Gunju said, chuckling wryly. When Chiumbo gave him a confused look, he just chuckled even more. "C'mon, let's go follow your aunt Naima before she gets into more trouble."

Tanabi was hot on the light crème lioness' trail as the two of them raced through the plains, laughing despite scaring the animals around them. The lion had to admit, Naima was pretty fast almost faster than he was but this didn't deter him in the slightest. She glanced backwards, sticking her tongue at him before Tanabi was able to close the distance between them. Picking up her pace, Naima ran out further, stopping on top of a hill to rest. As Tanabi finally caught up with her, she lay down on her back, laughing her head off.

"Whoo! That was something else," Naima exclaimed between her laughter, closing her eyes. Tanabi sat down beside her, panting. "I thought you woulda caught me!"

"I was just being easy on you, that's all," he lied; fully knowing that she out ran him.

"Sure you were. Heh, see, I told you this would be fun!"

"Yeah, you did," Tanabi replied with a warm smile. He hadn't had that much fun in a long time. He then fell silent, watching the lioness relax before something caught his eye. Walking to the edge of the hill and peering over, he could see two huge rhinos talking to something, looking agitated. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed it was Kato who they were arguing with.

_Oh, great you idiot. What have you gotten yourself into this time? _The brown lion instantly thought as he stood up, Naima opened her eyes and looked up at Tanabi.

"What's wrong?"

"It looks like Kato got himself into trouble. I'm going to help him out."

"Mtoto wa nyoka ni nyoka, Gwala."

"Mto-what?" Tanabi asked cocking an eyebrow at his companion.

"He's just like his dad. It's no wonder why he's in trouble," Naima replied sarcastically. "Kato can go jump off a mountain for all I care."

"Stay here then, if you feel so strongly about it," Tanabi snapped back as she snorted. He walked down the hill with trepidation, trying to figure out what was going on. The two rhinos seemed to be so into arguing with Kato that they didn't realize Tanabi was behind them.

"This land belongs to my father! Move out of my way!" Kato spat angrily, his grey fur rising on his back. The two rhinos looked down at the prince unimpressed.

"I don't care who your father is! We told _you_ to leave," one spoke up just as angrily. "Now go before we have to hurt you."

" No, you don't have the right to tell me what to do," Kato snapped, barring his teeth at them. Tanabi silently stepped in-between the rhinos and Kato, dully thinking that, like his father Kato, was an idiot.

"Is there a problem?" Tanabi asked as the two rhinos eying them with disdain.

"Where did you come from? We ran your kind out years ago!" The rhinoceros spat, leering down at the two lions. "You don't belong here and your little friend tried to order us around. We want him to leave!"

"…_And_? Is that it? I doubt this land actually belongs to you either, so just ignore him."

"Just get out of our way, little cub! We don't have time to _play_ with you," The other rhino retorted as the two started to walk away. "If I see you in our territory again, I will kill you!"

_The whole "I'm going to kill you" bit is really getting old….._ Tanabi thought listlessly as they continued to walk to wherever they were going. He honestly felt cheated; couldn't they have at least argued with him more or try to intimidate him? Tanabi was indeed curious about their comment about no lions but let that slide, it wasn't his problem. The perplexed lion then turned his attention to Kato.

" They didn't hurt you did they?" Tanabi asked as the charcoal colored lion glared at him, knowing full well what he was going to say next.

" I had everything under control. I didn't need your help." Kato snapped as he shoved past Tanabi who snorted.

" Well _damn_. I'll just let you get squished next time." The brown lion retorted sardonically. Kato swirled back around, snarling.

"Oh, you want to mouth back to me! That was a stupid move, my friend. I will tell my father what you did and he will get you back for this." Kato threatened, his blue eyes flaring with anger." I would watch your back; you're not exactly part of our pride yet!"

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_So, that's basically it for this chapter ^^. Next chapter will actually have the pride interacting with the other animals in their new home and let's just say, the rhinocerous that Tanabi met are the least of their worries. It'll be interesting to see how Kufuru handles this....a thanks to **robotminione**, **Prince of Pride, Pigs Go Moo, RunningWithTime728, spand, The Burning Red Rose **and **NALAxViTANi **for reviewing. The rest of you, go review! _


	22. Prince Tsawa

**Lion King 3: The Chosen Ones**

**Tanabi's Arc**

Chapter Twenty Two: Prince Tsawa

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Ayira and Kutu grinned at each other. Their search was finally over. After days and days of searching, they finally found the Aïr Pride. Ayira couldn't quite believe their luck and decided to question the imposing lioness glowering at her.

"You did say princess, right?"

"Yes." The crimson lioness retorted at a grinning Ayira before turning to Kutu," Princess Hikima you know better than to run off. It's dangerous here in the desert."

_She thinks Kutu is their princess? Wow, that's scary_, Ayira thought flatly. _All this desert air must have gotten to her. _

"I'm sorry, you have me mistaken for someone else I'm afraid," Kutu replied politely, giving the lioness an unassuming smile. "My name is Kutu. I'm looking for my uncle Jarumi."

"Oh, really?" she asked, skepticism evident in her voice. "I had no idea our king had a _niece_."

Kutu lowered her ears at this, Ayira sighed. Kutu was hopeless when it came to talking to other people. "Before you catch an attitude with someone, could you at least get your royal family members straightened out first? You seem a bit _confused_."

"_What_ did you just say to me?" the lioness asked, dangerously narrowing her brown eyes.

"Hey, what's going on Kissa?" one of the lionesses called out from a safe distance. "They're not trying to fight you are they?"

"No, but one of them is claiming to be Jarumi's niece." Kissa replied back in a frustrated tone of voice, not taking her eyes off of Ayira. "I suggest you both leave before things get ugly. We don't take impostors lightly here."

"Trust me; we're not trying to trick you," Kutu said sincerely. "I really am from this pride! My mother's name was Waridi, she sent us here."

"Never heard of her," Kissa said rudely. "Now go."

"Then ask one of your friends over there. We have all the time in the world," Ayira remarked coolly; there was no way in hell she was going to let this lioness drive them away after they had gotten this far. The two lionesses then fell into a stare down. Whether Kissa was willing to actually fight Ayira was debatable, but Ayira knew better than to let some random lioness get the best of her. Ayira got down into a low stance, unsheathing her claws, a dark smirk coming to her muzzle. For all of Kissa's threats, her eyes sure did grow wide.

_That's right bitch. I'm not playing with you. _

Realizing her moment of weakness, Kissa snarled, snapping her head towards the other lionesses. "Tsawa, get over here!"

The one named Tsawa came to them with a clueless look on his face. He was a slender lion, a bit older than Ayira was with the same deep crimson colored pelt and markings as Kutu did. Tsawa had a short messy black mane and light brown eyes; if you asked Ayira he could have easily been Kutu's brother.

"Can I help you?" Tsawa questioned, glancing at the strange new lionesses.

"Just tell me if your father had a sister named Waridi or not," Kissa said, swinging her tail back and forth agitatedly. Tsawa cocked his head to the side in curiosity before smiling at Kutu.

"No _way!_" The lion cried out, backing up excitedly. "I can't believe I didn't see it! You look exactly like Aunt Waridi. Wait until Dad finds out about_ this_."

"So does his word clear up those doubts of yours now? Or are we _still_ going to be stubborn?" Ayira pressed on, noticing the snarl that was curling the lioness' upper lip. Kutu, who was much faster on the uptake than her companion, cleared her throat.

"Prince Tsawa…" the young lioness started, slightly bowing with uncertainty, "if it isn't much to ask…may we accompany you back your home? There is something my friend must say to your father, and it is of grave importance."

"Of course you can come with, this is _your_ home too," Tsawa replied lightly, giving Kutu a charming smile. He put his foreleg around her shoulders, making Kutu stiffen in surprise. "There's no need to bow to me, after all we are family. "

"But Tsawa, you can't be serious! You have no idea who this _other_ lioness is!" Kissa protested, glaring at Ayira as she put the emphasis on the word. The prince shook his head amusedly.

" You worry too much Kissa. If she tries anything, there is more than enough of us to kill her." Tsawa noted in a polite tone of voice, studying Ayira for a few seconds before giving her an approving smile. "Though…someone as strong as she looks, we might have a problem on our paws. But I see no reason not to trust her so far."

Ayira frowned at him; there was something in his attitude that seemed a bit contrived, but she shook it off as nothing. He was only warning her and seemed nice enough…who was she to judge so quickly? Tsawa continued to smile respectfully at the orange lioness even though she was giving him an evil look. _Well…here goes nothing…_

" Thank you for giving us a chance your highness. I owe you one," Ayira said in a grateful tone of voice, bowing down to him and lowering her gaze.

"Please stand and think nothing of it," Tsawa motioned for Ayira to get up, which she did. He grinned slightly. "Who would have known we would have found a princess _and_ a beautiful lioness in our small desert? I didn't."

"Let's just go already. I don't want to stand in the sun any longer," their disgruntled companion interrupted, cutting Tsawa off. She motioned to the three other lionesses. "Okay everyone. We're leaving!" She then brushed hard against Ayira's shoulder as she walked by the princess in the opposite direction. Ayira snorted in response.

"_Charming_," Ayira noted dryly, watching Kissa with a look akin to distaste.

"I would watch it if I were you, my princess. She doesn't seem to like you," Kutu remarked worriedly. "Maybe you should lay low for a while…?"

"Feh. I don't know why I should. _She_ started it," the orange lioness retorted, smiling slightly and knowing that she sounded like a little cub just then.

"That's Kissa for you. Sometimes I swear she has something stuck up her…eheh, you ladies don't need to hear that," Tsawa said smiling apologetically. The princess, however, shook her head amusedly.

"What? That she has something lodged up her ass?" Ayira asked, her green eyes dancing wickedly. "Oh, don't worry I totally agree with you there."

"_My princess_!" Kutu cried out in horror. "You shouldn't say such things! What would your father say if he heard you?"

"…He'd probably agree with me."

"That's beside the _point_, Ayira!"

The prince started laughing softly. "Don't worry cousin. Even I admit my mate is overbearing at times. But I guess that's why I love her so much."

"Heh, then you have my pity," Ayira said, shaking her head as they walked on. "So, as a prince, you couldn't have picked some one, you know more attractive?"

"Looks aren't everything my princess," Kutu replied pleasantly back. "Not everyone has to look a certain way by your standards."

"Can I ask where you come from Ayira? Because I have to say, you have the prettiest green eyes I have ever seen in my life," Tsawa said, grinning.

_Yeah, they're probably the only pair of green eyes you've ever seen, buddy! _she thought sardonically before saying, "I come from the Pridelands, if it's really _that_ important to you."

"The Pridelands, huh?" He asked, looking up and down at Ayira with an appraising eye.

"Can I help you with something?" Ayira asked bluntly. "'Cause last time I checked, we usually talk to others with _words_, not through a staring contest."

"Cousin, would you mind going a bit ahead of us? I want to have a little private talk with your friend," the prince asked politely, pointedly ignoring Ayira's comment.

"You can say whatever you want in front of Kutu, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"It's okay, my princess," the red lioness reassured her, her eyes dancing mischievously. "It's just a little talk." She walked away before Ayira had a chance to argue back.

Mentally cursing Kutu, Ayira turned back to Tsawa and glowered at him with suspicion. "Well, you have my attention now. Make this short."

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to be my mate," the lion replied smoothly.

_Is he for real? _Ayira thought raising an eyebrow at him quizzically. He then came beside Ayira and tried to take in her scent. Confused and a bit revolted, the lioness made no sudden move to get away, not knowing if he would try something else. Tsawa laughed softly.

"Yes, you'lldo nicely," Tsawa murmured, more to himself than to Ayira, his eyes tracing along the scars on her neck. He then looked up the princess and beamed. "Okay. That's all I wanted to say. Shall we keep going?"

Ayira opened her mouth and then closed it, having no words to say to the bizarre lion. He then shook his head and laughed. "C'mon, let's go. Your friend is waiting for you."

Not needing an invitation, she glared at him before quickly running to Kutu's side.

Tsawa shook his head amusedly as he watched her. _That's right, Ayira. I think you will understand soon enough._

Not long after that, the group made its way to a guelta, where a small shallow pond of water split the desert land in two. Rocks of every shape and size were scattered across the land and lined the edges of the pond. There were several lionesses lying around lazily talking to each other or sleeping, while the young cubs chased each other or wrestled in the pond. Ayira gaped in surprise as she and Kutu came closer.

"Is this actually real or am I imagining it?" the red lioness asked in awe, taking in the scenery.

"I dunno, if you're not then we're both out of our minds," Ayira said blinking; double checking to see if it was only a mirage. She had no idea that much water could be found in the desert. Tsawa chuckled beside them.

"Welcome to the Aïr Pride, ladies. You can close your mouths now," the prince replied jokingly, grinning when they shot him dirty looks. "Don't go anywhere; I'll be_ right_ back."

"As if we'd want you to come back," Ayira said offhandedly, watching the lion and his mate walk to the other lionesses. There were a couple curious glances here and there at the princess' direction, but then Tsawa said something that made them laugh before walking off. Ayira dully wondered if he was flirting with them as well.

"Prince Tsawa is pretty nice, huh Ayira?" Kutu asked smiling brightly up at the orange lioness.

"Meh, there's nothing special about him," Ayira remarked with a yawn, stretching out her tired limbs. "Niceness seems to run in your family."

"I guess so, my princess," her friend said with a giggle, her hazel eyes dancing. "I was under the impression that you liked him."

"Craziness seems to run in the family too."

The lioness shoved Ayira playfully with her paw and shook her head. "Stop it. You know something, that attitude of yours will leave you a very lonely lioness someday."

"Well at least it will keep me away from Prince Tsawa!" Ayira quipped teasingly before leaning down to take a drink of water. The princess slowly lapped up the cool liquid, relishing the metallic taste. Her eyes then traveled levelly across the pond and stopped at the sight of Tsawa and some other huge lion heading their way. Ayira abruptly sat up and licked the rest of the water off of her muzzle. This was going to be interesting.

The lion that Tsawa had brought with him could easily be described as one of the largest lions Ayira had ever seen in her whole life. He was slightly bigger than what she could remember her grandfather being, this reddish brown lion was nothing more than pure muscle. He had a huge, thick black colored mane and the same sharp brown eyes Kissa possessed, but these eyes held a sense of being in command that the lioness lacked. Ayira resisted the urge to gulp. If he wasn't the king, she hated to see who was.

"Hello, my name is Jarumi. It is a pleasure to meet the both of you," the huge monster of a lion said, his voice deep and powerful. It took Ayira a good while to register that he was talking to her.

Kutu bowed first. "It is an honor to be in your presence, your majesty. I am Kutu and this is my companion, Ayira," the red lioness replied in her most humble voice. Catching the visual cue, the princess of the Pridelands quickly followed suit and bowed.

"Please, please stand! We're all friends here, there's no need to do that," Jarumi replied laughing. "I am so happy that you have finally returned to us, Kutu."

Kutu sat up and cocked her head to the side in question before the king wrapped his forearms around her in a huge bear hug making the lioness squeak out in surprise. He laughed deeply again and nuzzled her.

"I never thought I would see you or my sister again, and to see you all grown up makes my heart swell with joy," Jarumi said warmly, letting the timid lioness go. He then smiled widely. "My, my you look as beautiful as your mother." When Kutu blushed and said nothing, he then turned to Ayira and bowed. "Thank you so much for allowing my sister to live in your pride, I am in your debt."

The young princess's eyes grew wide at the king's humility and she quickly protested, "You don't need to thank me your highness, my parents' were the ones who allowed Waridi into the kingdom, not me. You _really_ don't have to thank me."

Jarumi got up and smiled warmly, "Even so, I can tell you have been kind to my niece as well. My son said that you, Princess Ayira of the Pridelands, have something to ask of me. Whatever it is, I will try my best to help you."

_If only it was that easy_…Ayira thought to herself, inwardly sighing. She locked eyes with the King, her whole visage turning serious. There was no turning back now. "Well…you see your highness, as you've said before I've came from the Pridelands, though that not exactly a good thing. We have recently fallen on hard times, to the point where a war has broken out."

"A war?" Jarumi echoed softly, a troubled look coming to his face. "How long has this been going on?" Tsawa also looked disturbed by this news.

"I have no idea…Kutu and I left to find help," she replied, lowering her ears. "Waridi told us to find you, saying maybe you had an idea on how to stop all of this."

The reddish brown lion fell silent for a moment, getting a distant look on his face and then he started to frown deeper. "I wish I could help you Ayira…but I'm sorry. I have no idea what is going on out there and sending any one of the members of my pride would be senseless. There is no need to bring us into your conflict. I am truly sorry."

Ayira felt her heart literally plummet to her stomach and for some reason she felt the overwhelming reaction to be sick. All she could do was stare silently in shock at Jarumi, Kutu however continued on.

"Uncle, you have to understand! A whole kingdom could fall!" Kutu cried out, her voice high with emotion. She turned her head away, blinking away any tears she had. "I don't expect you to care…but this is everything me and Mom have. You said it yourself; we owe everything to Ayira and her parents. I'm begging you, please!"

Jarumi simply shook his head. "There's nothing I can do. Maybe things can work out for the best and maybe the two sides can work things out. Your pride can't be that weak, they just have to work together."

Despite her bitter words to Kutu earlier about not wanting to be queen and hating her home, Ayira truly didn't mean it. The bitter word were nothing but empty and now, fear. True fear started settling into her mind; Jarumi was their last hope. The princess could feel herself trembling with anger and for the first time, everything she had kept bottled up was starting to explode out of her. Fixing her eyes on the King, she decided there was no better target.

"_Work _together? That's so damn naïve of you to say!" Ayira spat angrily. "We're fighting desperately, _they're_ all fighting desperately back home! What the _hell_ can we protect if feelings are the only weapon we have? And you say that _you_ can do nothing, that's such a lie!" She laughed sarcastically. "You think we haven't tried talking this out?"

"Princess Ayira…" Tsawa warned softly, moving closer to her. Ayira shook her head.

"_No_, Tsawa! Your father needs to hear this!" Ayira snapped, half growling at the prince. "You're such a damn coward! Hiding behind the safety of your little peaceful kingdom! How can you even—" Before she could even continue her sentence, Ayira saw the sorrowful eyes of the king and it was like something died inside of her. Ayira had seen those same eyes on her father, Jarumi looked almost as heartbroken as Ayira felt. No, he wasn't being cruel…he was just doing what was best for his kingdom just like Ayira was doing for hers. Her eyes quickly softened and she turned away ashamed.

"I am so sorry...I don't know what came over me, your highness," the orange lioness said softly, closing her eyes in pain. Kutu walked over to Ayira and nuzzled her in comfort.

"It's okay…I understand," the king replied neutrally, almost kindly. "Listen, take as long as you want here. Even though I can't help you, I will at least give you the best hospitality I can."

"Thank you," Ayira said in a flat, unemotional tone as she bowed. She then turned to Kutu. "Stay here and get to know your family members for a bit okay? I'm sure they'd wanna hear everything about you."

"What about you Ayira?" Kutu asked worriedly.

"Oh, I'm fine! I really am!" Ayira replied, feigning a smile and failing miserably. She backed away and turned around. "Just don't follow me okay? I just need a few minutes to myself…"

The red lioness opened her mouth to disagree, but there was something in Ayira's tone of voice that told her to not push her luck. She then lowered her ears and sighed sadly. "Just come back to me. That's all I ask."

Ayira did not hear a word Kutu said.

By the time the orange lioness had finally stopped running, the sun was already starting to set. Before she had almost collapsed in exhaustion, she had made it to one of the higher parts of the desert among the rocky formations of a plateau. There was not more for Ayira to do but to lie there, dangling her forepaws precariously off of the edge and to look out into the distance. More than a thousand thoughts were running around in her head but yet, she was too detached to actually care at the moment. One of the most foremost thoughts was how stupid and naïve she was to think that Jarumi would actually help them out. Nobody wanted to fight in a war that had nothing to do with them and Jarumi owed them nothing in return.

_Besides, it's _your _fault isn't it? _a voice whispered in her mind. Ayira made no objections to that, she just couldn't anymore. It _really_ was her fault everything had happened and the only hope that she desperately clung to was cruelly taken away from her. She failed, plain and simple. She felt an inexplicable reason to laugh and cry at the same time, but yet no tears would come.

Ayira then looked down; the height from where she lied there was dizzying to say the least. It was a sharp drop and despite the sand at the bottom, there was no way you could survive if you actually fell or at least that was what Ayira thought. A nasty dark thought came to her, telling her to just jump but Ayira shook it off…That wouldn't solve anything except for saying that she gave up. But feeling how she felt now wasn't exactly deterring these thoughts. Nowadays, there wasn't much to help with the dark thoughts that Ayira had started getting.

Sometimes, the princess thought that her brother had made a good decision of running off. She could hardly blame him; there wasn't _anything_ to be happy about back at home. Now that she was there within the outskirts of the Air pride, the idea of never going back to the Pridelands sounded like a good catch. She distantly wondered if that was what Kutu was planning to do.

The soft sound of paws padding up behind her, made Ayira's ears swivel slightly.

"You don't listen very well, _do_ you your highness?"

Tsawa laughed as he came to her. "How did you know I was here?"

"I could smell your stench," the lioness remarked darkly, not turning to face him. Ignoring her, Tsawa sat on his haunches beside the depressed princess.

"You look like you need some company, and it isn't very polite of me to just leave a female in pain," Tsawa said brightly, not making eye contact with Ayira. "The sunset is really beautiful isn't it?"

"Pretend that I _care_," Ayira muttered, making the prince frown.

"Now that wasn't very-"

"What do you want?" Ayira snarled angrily at him, her nerves getting the better of her. "I just want to be left alone!"

The lion backed up, a bit taken aback from her outburst. "I wanted to apologize for my father…"

"Well damn, I _heard_ him the first time. It's not like I need a reminder!" Ayira replied harshly, shaking her head in frustration. She didn't need this right now. If he didn't move away from her soon, Ayira feared she would lose her control.

…That's not the only thing I had to say, princess. You ask me what_ I_ wanted and yet you don't listen to what I'm about to say. A conversation works two ways you know," Tsawa retorted, not missing a beat, his friendly façade wearing thin. "You can act like a spoiled cub all you want to my father, but you _are_ going to listen to me."

Ayira turned her head stubbornly away from him, keeping her mouth shut in a firm line as if she grudgingly agreed with him. Tsawa shook his head at her and started again.

"I could have told you earlier that my father wouldn't have listened to you...he's too soft and lacks ambition for a king. Though, I'm different, I actually think there is something to be gained from helping your kingdom out. Your words have proven to me that you truly care about your pride and it was quite inspiring to listen to you, Ayira."

"Get to your point." The burnt orange lioness said flatly, flicking her tail in an aggravated manner.

"Despite what my father said to you earlier, I am more than happy to help you out. I may not be king yet, but I will be king _very_ soon, it won't matter what he says."

Skeptical but secretly curious, Ayira turned to look up at the prince beside her. "You mean you'll…help?"

Tsawa smiled kindly at her and for a moment, Ayira could feel hope swelling inside of her. "Yes. I promise, once I become king this week, we shall help you out…if that's what you want."

"Of course it is!" Ayira cried out, getting to her paws slowly in excitement, she couldn't believe her ears. She then faltered and eyed Tsawa critically. "Wait. There's more to this that you're not telling me."

"What do you mean?" The prince asked innocently as he possibly could, pulling a blank look. A frown came to Ayira's muzzle, she knew that look _too_ well, it was the same one Tanabi would do when he lied.

"You really want to play me for a fool, don't you?" Ayira scoffed. "We both know it's not that simple. So go ahead and tell me."

Tsawa chuckled deeply, giving Ayira an appraising look. "I guess I should have known better than to mince words with you. But, I'm sorry to tell you it is as simple as that…Well, there is something I want in return, but it's a simple thing really."

The lioness cocked her eyebrow at him, not impressed. "Just say _it_."

To Ayira's surprise and confusion, he leaned towards her ear and whispered some words to her. The inaudible words had a huge impact on Ayira and she quickly pushed away from him in shock, gaping at him in disbelief.

"No way, I am _not_ doing that!" she cried out incredulously, her eyes widening. "Why would you even ask me?"

The red lion smirked, lying down beside her in amusement. "You act like it's the end of the world, I said it's simple. Besides, with a beautiful lioness like yourself, it's only natural this would happen."

Ayira shook her head. "I can't do that! Tsawa, you have a _mate!_ How do you think that will affect Kissa or your marriage? I can't believe you would—"

"Calm down. When we leave for the Pridelands, it's not like I will see her again, not for a long time," Tsawa added callously, giving Ayira a wry smirk. "Even if she found out, nobody questions a king's dealings with other lionesses. Hell, if this works out for us, the might even be more of a bonus for both of our kingdoms…if you get what I'm saying."

"You're disgusting," Ayira cut across, spitting. She then narrowed her green eyes. "How Kissa can even be with you is beyond my understanding! I _knew_ there was something wrong with you…"

"Are you going to take my deal or not, Ayira? You can throw accusations at me all you want, but you know as well as I do, it's a small price to pay for my help." Tsawa replied simply, inching closer to Ayira and slowly taking in her scent near her neck. Stunned but still disgusted, Ayira shoved his face away with her paw and snarled.

"I hardly call that _small_." The princess snapped, her features turning fierce. "Now, try that again and I'll scratch your damn eyes out." Tsawa started to laugh at this, striking him as funny.

"Heh, you know what they say Ayira. Some things you lose and some things you just give away."

"Can you stop being so damn moronic for five seconds? I willnever, _ever _lower myself for you! There are other ways for me to repay you and for me to show you my gratitude, but this will _never_ be one of them!" Ayira shouted at him, shaking with anger, her fur going on edge. Tsawa snarled right back at her, his light brown eyes flashing in frustration.

"I'm only asking you for this one favor and it's a simple one. It's not like I'm asking you to kill my father…Honestly I'm giving you a chance to save your kingdom, yet you are too proud to see it! You should be thanking me for _my_ kindness!" the prince spat back at Ayira. That did it. Ayira got right into Tsawa's face and roared at him.

"_Your _kindness? "

"_Yes_, I'm willing to sacrifice **my** pride for you! Innocent members of my pride, who have _nothing_ to do with your war!" Tsawa snapped his voice dangerously soft. "So go on, go home and _watch_ your pride die off one by one! Could you live with that?"

A tense silence fell in between the two monarchs, whose faces were literally an inch apart from each other. Both of them were breathing heavily from the yelling, yet the fight in their eyes still lingered. It almost seemed as if time had stood still for the moment, neither Ayira nor Tsawa willing to back down. Eventually Tsawa turned his head away from her and sighed.

"I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, Ayira…there's no strings attached to this deal other than what I told you. My intentions are completely pure, and I promise that I will keep my word. But it is truly up to you to decide on what you want. I can't force you," Tsawa said slowly. There was no jocularity in his voice, like the other times. He turned to leave. "You know where to find me."

Ayira bit her lower lip and turned away, still reeling from all of it. This was the best chance to put an end to the war and to return home…when Jarumi told her he couldn't help, she didn't know what to do next and now she still didn't. Could she really trust Tsawa? Her rational side screamed at her to stop being so stupid but deep down inside, she knew there was nothing but to _trust_ him. A bitter smile came to her muzzle, it wasn't like there was much more to lose.

_I'm running out of options…It's not like I know Kissa well enough to feel bad about this. _The princess shook her head stubbornly; no one's feelings counted right now. It was down to only her and everyone back home was counting on her. She _couldn't_ let them down.

"Tsawa!" Ayira found herself calling after him abruptly, making him stop and eye her with curiosity. "You're right…Let's just get this over with."

* * *

_Heh, I hope Ayira knows what she's doing. Sorry about the lack of updates lately, I've been a bit busy but now I'm back ^^. I think from now on I'll be splitting the chapters with two chapters of Tanabi and then two chapters with Ayira each time so they'll tie more smoothly together. Anyway, a thanks to everyone who reviewed and a personal thanks to **Prince of Pride **and_ **_morfowt_** _for their interest in this story, thanks guys ^^. And as usual, please review! _

_Names:_

_Kissa: Trickery _

_Hikima: Wisdom_

_Tsawa: Thunderclap _

_Jarumi: Courageous _


	23. Whatever It Takes

**Lion King III: The Chosen Ones **

**Tanabi's Arc **

Chapter Twenty Three: Whatever It Takes

* * *

Intense rain clouds swelled around in the sky high above the Pride lands. Despite the calmness of the grassland; heat of war was tearing apart the heart of the kingdom.

Rafiki had been there before; he had seen the ancient land through three generations of strife. He had lived through a famine; he had lived through the lion prides tearing each other apart. Now he had to bare witness to the harrowing roars and dying screams of two very different species fighting to the death.

Each generation had been thrown out of balance somehow and through the watchful guidance of the kings of the past, the Pride lands would eventually come back to peace. This generation was no different, the old mandrill was sure of it. He served the old kings and each time, through miraculous hard work, he helped gently guide the young monarch to be back to their paws and see their way. No matter how long it took for the kings of the past to answer, they always did. Sometimes the ideas that the kings had were...unique, crazy even and it made Rafiki wonder if staying up in the stars for all eternity could make one lose their sanity. But that was what faith and trust was for.

As he stood outside his makeshift home, a wide smile came to him as he felt a familiar presence all around him.

The spirit belonging to this king had a playful manner about it and used that to his advantage in order to scare the wits out of Rafiki. None of the former kings had used continuous visions while Rafiki had been awake, but he did it. They were scary frightening visions of the future of the pride lands and Rafiki truly thought he had eaten a bad herb from the surreal trip he was having, until he heard that playful laugh. Leave it to Simba to make his dramatic entrance.

"You're right ol friend…one's eyes are important," Rafiki remarked up at the sky thoughtfully, feeling a drop of rain plop against his face."They help you see the world around you. They help you remember de experiences you have lived through. Sometimes there are wonderful, marvelous things and other times there can be bad ones…They help form your identity. It would be amazin to see thru another's eyes, to share that connection wit someone and get another view...But do you dink they are ready..?"

No answer, unless you counted a few more raindrops.

"It's your fault; those grandcubs of yours are stubborn, that they are," Rafiki said, sighing playfully."Running away from home, one decides to destroy herself wit self hatred and guilt while de other completely refuses to acknowledge his identity. If they weren't so far apart, ol' Rafiki would beat them with the stick…"

The old mandrill stopped for a moment and added mischievously,"…That sounds familiar, ay?"

Suddenly the sound of thunder exploded from the sky, unleashing a downpour of rain on the old monkey, soaking him. He cackled in satisfaction as it continued to rain harder.

"Okay, okay. It's a shame we couldn't use de little one but he has his own path ahead of him. We've never used an outsider from beyond our kingdom before but I guess the times are changing. You can't fool ol Rafiki; you just wanted some romance to happen. You really _are_ Mufasa's boy!"

The sound of thunder continued to grow louder and Rafiki shook his head in amusement. It was time for the prince and princess to finally face up and take their place in the circle of life.

OooO

How disgusting.

These two words were the only way to describe what happened that night. They were the same words that seemed to have locked themselves into Ayira's mind, cruelly replaying themselves over and over in order to remind her of what she had done.

Ayira had never been with anyone in her entire life, she had no idea how to react or what to do. All she knew was the overwhelming feelings of anxiety and fear that she held with the lion she was with. She hated the touch of his paws roaming on her body, tracing along everything that Ayira thought she had kept to herself. Every insecurity, every flaw, that the lioness wouldn't have told a soul about was bared to Tsawa though his own thoughts of lust made them almost invisible. He continued to whisper sweet twisted fabrications about how perfect her body was, how he wanted to hold her close against him and never let go. Each word that Ayira heard cut into her. She didn't understand how anyone could use such loving words and turn them into empty contradictions. To him, Ayira was nothing more than a perverse fantasy that he could manipulate and act out.

The passionate he became, the more Ayira lost. Despite the countless times she convinced herself that she was doing it for her family, it couldn't stop the guilt and worthlessness. It didn't stop the scary newfound feelings of pleasure and eventually, Ayira gave into the pressure of giving back to Tsawa. The nuzzling and licking that she gave back to him fed deeper into her loss of self-respect. What was going on between them had become nothing more than a mindless, vicious game that Ayira felt that there was no point in escaping. The boundaries between her self-respect and going too far was had become blurred beyond recognition.

_Just a little while longer. You've already given in, it's almost over, _Ayira had told herself.

She had no idea how wrong she was.

By the time she realized that he was starting to _hurt_ her, by the time the deep-seated fear of a stranger controlling her kicked in, it was too late.

After the act was done, Ayira felt empty. It was like Tsawa had stolen something precious from her, something that was a part of her that she had realized for if only a fleeting moment. The ochre lioness had allowed a lion…a _complete _stranger taint what was everyone told her was supposed to be pure and only done out of love. Now instead of a good moment, she was frightened and in pain, thoroughly ashamed of what she did.

Eventually the two monarchs left their spot at the plateau. Ayira's ravaged mind left her body to follow after the red lion out of instinct, not caring if he could hurt her again or not. The tense awkward silence had hung in the air like a void, fathomless. It was only after they had made some significant progress that Tsawa started talking again.

"Princess Ayira," she heard Tsawa say to her. When she didn't react in the way he wanted, he half-heartedly nudged the ochre-colored lioness, trying to bring her out of her of her daze. A cold wave of revulsion went down Ayira's spine.

"We're back at the guelta…This is about as far as we need to go," he said softly. Tsawa then turned to her and gave her a weak attempt at smiling. "You should try and get as much rest as you can. We have a lot of planning to do tomorrow."

Ayira didn't respond; she continued to stare lifelessly at her paws.

Tsawa shifted very uneasily and cleared his throat. "You haven't said a single word since we stopped..."

_Can't you understand you've done enough damage? What else do you want from me? _

Visibly disturbed at the sight of her, Tsawa drew closer to Ayira. He nuzzled the limp princess a in a comforting manner, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"What?" The red lion asked taken aback.

"You're not sorry." Ayira spoke up hollowly, finding the strength in her voice again. She clawed at the ground. "Just… leave me alone Tsawa…"

"Princess…"

"Can't you hear? _Leave me alone!_" Ayira yelled at him, incensed, shattering the false calm. Tsawa's face morphed from semi-sympathetic to surprise at the lioness' sudden outburst in an instant. The sudden change didn't go by unnoticed by Ayira, who snarled darkly. "You sick bastard, how dare you apologize now? If you had _any _remorse, you wouldn't've made me go through with it in the first place!"

Tsawa drew away from her, total disbelief at her words sinking in. He shook his head at her slowly, frowning defensively. "Don't push this all on me. You had a choice; I didn't force you to doanything."

"No I didn't. You were my _only_ option!" Ayira spat back at him, eyes flaring. She hated how he just brushed everything aside with his callous words, each one of them tapping off more into her rage. Though there was a part of her that knew she was in control of her own actions, she refused to let it go. "There are so many lives depending on me and Kutu right now. I can't afford to waste time on something that's right in front of me!"

"Then why the hell are you complaining? You got what you wanted didn't you?" Tsawa countered in a heated roar. Ayira snarled lividly, but the red lion ignored her and continued on out of impulse.

"All this talk about how I'm your only option, don't make me laugh! There are plenty of animals out there who would probably be _more_ than willing to help out, but you didn't stop to think about that! _Oh no_. You jumped at me and you deserve _exactly _what you got!"

An enraged cry came from the lioness within moments of his statement and without either realizing it; Ayira had tackled Tsawa hard to the ground. The red lion wrestled under her frantically but she had managed to pin him. The princess snarled down at him, her green eyes burning into his, hatred and fury controlling her actions. Ayira raised her paw against Tsawa in an attempt to throttle him but the red lion caught her. To his surprise, harsh heartbreaking sobs started to shake her body causing Ayira to break down.

"Princess Ayira…" Tsawa murmured as he watched the wretched lioness lose her will to fight him and break further, her body becoming limp as stronger waves of tears hit. Sliding up from under her, he could only watch as Ayira continued to cry, the poor lioness burying her head into her paws, gripping her head as if to silence her humiliation and pain.

He watched the princess who tried so hard to become a strong lioness fall apart into the scared cub she truly was throughout the rest of the night.

OooO

The next morning brought no solace to Ayira. Her tired restless eyes had been jolted awake from the hot rays of the bright sun beating down over her and she found herself unable to return to sleep. She couldn't remember falling asleep in the first place, the emotional stress she had been under the night before was the only thing that came to mind. At first, just being awake renewed the heavy feelings of sadness to the young lioness and though she tried to banish them away, the tears started to come back. It took her awhile to collect her thoughts and her composure again, but even after all of that, Ayira still felt lower than she ever did.

Prince Tsawa was there with her. Images of his cold face took over any other thought that she might have had, whenever she tried to close her eyes, his smooth voice whispered to her and crept deep into her insides, twisting them with filth and reawakening thoughts of pain, ones that were so clear that she swore she was still physically lying with him. Ayira was suffocated with the vivid smell of his stench crawling all over her body; it was one thing that wouldn't go away even after endless times of rinsing herself off in the guelta. The red lion had dug himself so far into Ayira's mind that she couldn't rip him out, he was there and he wasn't going anywhere.

She had no one to blame but herself after all, she was the one who agreed to go through with it…but she had never been so desperate and scared in her whole life. Her family was fighting in hopes that she would come back with help, there was no time to hesitate and she panicked. Tsawa was the easiest way out of things, if she and Kutu had left the Air pride, who knew how far or how long their journey would take them. _I did the right thing, didn't I? Didn't I? _

No, she knew she didn't. Tsawa literally screamed it at her that she had been wrong, she had other options. He manipulated her into believing that she didn't, took advantage of her vulnerability. But didn't that mean that she could have changed her mind? He knew she never want to be with him. She didn't want the pain that came with it, how many times did she tell him that?

Ayira buried her head underneath her paws again, trying to hide from the thoughts of her own screams and his moans. It was too much. Ayira wanted for someone, _anyone_, to help her out and tell her it was going to be alright. Where was Kutu? Didn't she even worry about her or even care that Ayira had been gone the whole night? Ayira stubbornly told herself to shut up right then, it wasn't fair to start getting angry at Kutu for something she had no idea about.

The lioness abruptly sat up from her spot outside of the entrance of the guelta and got to her paws, her eyes widening as his stench returned, filling her nostrils. Her anxiety exploded as she watched in the distance, Prince Tsawa approaching her with a small smile. Ayira drew closer to the wall she had been sleeping against and got to her paws, trying to keep a calm look on her face that she hope looked a hell of a lot natural than she felt.

"Good morning, Princess," The red lion greeted her as plainly as he could.

"Don't start," Ayira said every muscle and sense on red alert.

"I was only trying to be polite, Princess Ayira," Prince Tsawa remarked in a neutral voice.

Ayira tensed more. "I could give a rat's ass about what you're pretending to be. What do you want?"

"To talk about my half of the deal," he said coolly. "I thought it'd be easier to discuss our plan earlier in the morning before I get called off."

"So you decided to talk to someone who physically attacked you. That's smart."

"Just as smart as attacking the lion who is try to help her," Prince Tsawa retorted bluntly as Ayira snorted. "I admire your attempts at trying to put me down, but shouldn't you be more worried about what we're going to do about saving your kingdom?"

"The words 'we are' shouldn't even be in your mouth. You have _your_ own damn kingdom to run," the princess cut across harshly, "All you need to do is get me the help I need and I'll do the rest. I want _nothing_ more to do with you."

A glimpse of irritation seemed to wash over Tsawa's features briefly, showing the first real emotion Ayira had seen him show. The red lion growled softly and lowly at her, "Fine. Have it your way, Princess. Follow me."

"You must've lost your mind if you think I'm following _you_ anywhere," Ayira spat.

"Shut up and stop acting like a cub," Prince Tsawa stared at her with veiled anger," Do you honestly think it'd look good for you to talk to a group of lionesses within this pride out in the open? My father _clearly_ expressed he didn't want anyone involved in your war; if he caught you here and now, you would be good as dead. I shouldn't have to tell you this."

The orange lioness snarled openly at his words but inwardly ran what he said through her mind. She was allowing him gain control again. The princess had to keep herself desensitized; everything Tsawa did was blocking her better judgment.

Ayira felt a frustrated scowl curl her upper lip and her tail lashed behind her wildly as she watched the red lion walk off. She didn't want to follow him but Ayira knew that nothing would change if she stood there brewing in her anger.

_It can't matter; it can't _ever_ matter about how I'm feeling. Everyone at home's waiting for me, I can't afford to be selfish or make any mistakes, _Ayira pounded into her head mentally as she caught up with Tsawa when the red lion decided to walk off. She continued to push that reason and herself as she followed the prince's lead.

Tsawa led Ayira deeper into the red plains of the desert, taking her back to the familiar plateau that sent waves of anxiety down Ayira's spine as they passed by it on one of the lower routes. The crimson landmark swamped the land beneath it with its own massive dark shadow, almost dark as night itself, making it hard to see anything in the distance. High rock walls extended towards the sky on either side of the two lions allowed some sliver of light to filter through, casting off an eerie ethereal glimmer on to the otherwise invisible pathway.

Ayira breathed in and out audibly from the deafening lack of sound. The only thing that kept her from shaking was the faint sound of Tsawa's paws.

The red lion suddenly slipped into one of the walls of shadow, Ayira quickly followed after him and found herself standing in a cave. A figure of a lioness got up and made her way slowly to them, the lioness' bright mustard colored fur stood out the most amongst the darkness. When she came face to face with Ayira, a wry smile formed on her mussle.

"Why…you didn't tell me she was nothing more than a cub, Tsa," the lioness spoke, though not unkindly as she bowed. Her voice was sweet and cub like but yet carried a level of maturity that Ayira picked up on. "Don't worry, honey. I promise no one's going to hurt you."

"Hazike, how many of the lionesses have you told?" Prince Tsawa asked. Hazike made a face and shook her head at him.

"Tsa, at least act like you have _some_ heart. Can't you tell she's a nervous wreck? All that serious stuff can wait for a while."

"We don't have that kind of time."

"I'm well aware, you've told me. But a bit of kindness goes a long way and it doesn't take _that_ long."

Hazike then sighed lightly, giving Ayira an amused yet embarrassed grin. "Sorry, honey. Tsa here's a prince in all except attitude. You'll have to forgive me for tryin'."

"It's fine," Ayira replied. She gave her own respectful bow in return," Thank you for allowing me to speak with you, Hazike. I really appreciate it."

"Now, now, get up," the yellow lioness said, smiling. "It isn't right; you're a princess, aren't you? If anythin, I should be bowing to you again. All you have to call me is Hazike and I think that'll be alright with me."

While she knew the lioness was trying to be friendly, Ayira couldn't quite return her smile or warmth. She didn't want to be in the same cave with Tsawa anymore than she had to and her drive of wanting to get everything over with screamed at her to get a move on. The orange princess paused and chose her words slowly and deliberately.

"Hazike, I know that Prince Tsawa must've already told you the situation I am in. Since I've been led to believe that you are the one who has the answers or at least a plan…"

"The preparations have already started, Princess Ayira," Hazike cut her off. Noticing the look of surprise on Ayira's face, the golden lioness continued."I have already talked to the other lionesses in question and we have already rallied six in total. That's includes my mate, Biyyaya."

"Six..?" Ayira's mind swam in slight hope with that number. _That should be plenty of backup! We'll be able to fight Sheikh back easily! _

Prince Tsawa interjected, "There is, however, one more thing I must ask of you." The pridelands' princess snapped her attention back to the red lion, glaring expectantly at him. Her whiskers twitching in barely restrained irritation as he spoke plainly, "If we leave these lands, my pride would need some sort of restitution or at least a haven until we settled again after the war is over. Surely you can understand that."

Ayira stiffened, saying thoughtfully, "…You mean you want acceptance into the pride back home?"

"Just until we can find our own place to call our own," the yellow lioness spoke up politely and gently. "But I have already explained several times to Tsawa here an' the sisters that you all might not be able to support everyone. It's no fur off our back to leave the Air pride, half of us were strays taken in by King Jarumi so we feel we don't belong here."

The princess ran the scenario through her mind; there were so many unknowns to worry about. Would her father even agree to any of those terms? Ayira remembered a long time ago; as a cub, her mother and father sat her and Tanabi down to tell them about splitting their inheritance equally. Ayira would rule as Queen over the northern part of the pridelands while Tanabi would take the south, that way there would be no jealousy between siblings in the royal family again.

_Maybe I can talk Dad into allowing me to be Queen early and split the land…oh, who am I kidding? I don't _want_ to be. _Ayira thought stressfully. _I've already screwed everything up once and I'm putting everyone's lives at risk because of me. I'm not worthy of it. _

"I can't promise anything," Ayira finally admitted. She felt inexplicably dizzy as she backtracked. "But my dad, he's not ungrateful, he's a great King. He'll reward you for your bravery somehow."

"Then we'll just have to play it day by day an' see what happens," Hazike replied neutrally before letting out a light laugh to clear the air. "I don't know about you, Princess Ayira, but I hate all of this seriousness. Whadd'ya say we go down to the guelta later this afternoon, I'll catch you up on the latest gossip about Tsa' here."

Ayira cut her eyes at the filth by her side, suppressing the urge to snarl. "Maybe…"

"We'll see you tonight then, Hazike," Prince Tsawa smiled at her before turning to Ayira. "Let's go before my dad gets suspicious."

"Bye 'Tsa. It was nice meetin' you, Princess Ayira."

After they said their goodbyes, Ayira followed Tsawa out of the cave, her mind still in jumbles over everything she agreed to. Her companion smirked a little. "See, princess? I'm keeping my word."

"The sight of your vile, disgusting, smug face makes me _sick_," the lioness sneered at him hatefully. "How can you even live with yourself?"

"Oh, I have my ways," he told her smoothly."So I'll see you tonight then? We have plans to do, Hazike'll have everyone gathered."

"Where is this _we_ stuff coming from? I don't _need_ you anymore, you're done!"

"But I'm not, I'm coming with you. The pride won't listen to you without their prince, we go way back. So that means I'll see you tonight."

_Just shut up already, damn! _Ayira shouted at him in her mind as she shoved as hard as she could past the lion, ignoring every word he said to her afterwards.

Her heart ached desperately to find Kutu, the only one in the world that could make her not feel as worthless as she really was. As she continued to walk back to guelta, the sound of Tsawa behind her made Ayira's whole face and body burn with anxiety and humiliation. She wanted to get away from him. She _needed_ to get away from him. The lioness stomped off, trembling in a mess of nerves, pointedly ignoring the red lion for her own sanity. Ayira could still feel his firm paws travelling all over her body, his smell, the way he spoke to her rang in her ears. Her living nightmare wouldn't stop.

_Yeah, that's about as far as this chapter goes because I'm stuck :D. I'm looking for any type of crictism here, bad or good so it can hopefully help me jump start the next part or give me a better idea of where to guide this chapter... if that makes any sense. Thanks to all of y'all who stuck with me and reviewed or pm'd, I really apprieciate it :P. _


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